King Tuff Creates The Best Distraction With Turf Club Show
I don't know much about sports, but I know that Minnesota sports teams have a way of disappointing fans. Maybe that's why I never really got into it, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glancing at the Timberwolves game throughout the show on Tuesday night. The Turf Club had the game playing on one TV that was furthest away from the stage and then on the big screen down in the basement bar (which is called the Clown Lounge and is one of the most charming bars in Saint Paul). It was a game of ups and downs. We'd be ahead, then it would be a tied game, then we would lose it just to get it back again. It was frustrating, and it was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. Although I don't follow sports, I am a fairweather fan, and I feel slightly invested in the season as the Timberwolves fight to stay in the playoffs. You could feel a sense of tension in the air when we would fall behind and a sense of excitement as we would pull ahead. It was a lot to digest, but thankfully, we had a beautiful soundtrack to help get us through it all, and when the night turned into a disappointing loss, the music floating through the air of The Turf Club kept anyone in attendance from feeling too bummed out about it.
I'll be honest with you, I have mixed feelings about the opening act, Caution. Caution is the duo of Cash Langdon and Nora Button. They are a long-distance band-- Nora lives up here in Minneapolis, and Langdon lives in Birmingham, Alabama, but that wasn't obvious. The duo, joined by a drum machine and some other various tracking, felt like a cohesive group and definitely worked well as a pair. That being said, I couldn't really figure out their sound. There were moments during their opening track that reminded me a lot of The Kills, but other moments that felt maybe a bit too abstract and avant-garde for me to really get lost in. Like the game happening in the background, it was a constant rollercoaster ride. There were moments when I wanted off the ride and other moments where I wished that it never had to end. Overall, I left wanting to hear more from Caution. Maybe I was having an off night, maybe they were having an off night, maybe nobody was having an off night, and this is just what they do and how they sound. Regardless, they caught my attention, and I hope I get to see and hear more of this band in hopes of figuring them out.
My introduction to King Tuff, the headliner on Tuesday night, was back in 2023 when I stumbled into his show by accident at this same venue. Okay, it wasn't really an accident, but I had gone into that show knowing nothing about this man or his music and left a fan. That being said, like Caution, this was an act that I couldn't figure out. I like his garage-rock vibe and loved how charming he was on stage, but when push came to shove, I felt like I was missing something. It was a good set, but I wasn't head over heels in love like many other people in the audience were that night. Being able to get lost in King Tuff's world again on Tuesday night felt a bit like a redemption moment for me. Maybe this was the night, the set, where I finally understood it. Where everything would click and, like the rest of the audience, would become a superfan.
King Tuff has been thrilling audiences with his talent since 2006. From his work on Sub Pop Records as King Tuff to his work as the guitarist and singer of stoner rock band Witch, and his contributions as a member of Ty Segall's backing band, it's honest to call King Tuff a bit of a legend, but an underground kind of legend. Although his name may still stop short of hitting the mainstream, he has never stopped short of putting his heart into everything and truly grinding. Over the years, he has released seven full-length albums (including 'Moo' from last year, which is what he is currently touring on), a smattering of EPs and singles, and various other releases. He's the kind of musician who, if you know, you know, and if you know, you're clearly part of the cool kids club.
I could rattle off a couple of song titles from King Tuff's setlist on Tuesday night, but if you're like me, that won't help. I really don't care about song titles; I care about vibe, and every vibe of every song performed on Tuesday night was absolutely perfect. From the effortless charisma that radiated from King Tuff to the way he acknowledged his drummer and bassist multiple times (and they deserved it because both musicians were beyond perfect), there was something so charming and so extraordinary about this set, but there was also something so chill. It didn't feel like we were watching a legend on stage. It didn't feel like this man was the type of person who had toured and grinded for decades. It felt like we were watching someone just doing what they love and what they were born to do. I know this can be said for a lot of bands that I see, but there's something different about this feeling when it comes to King Tuff. The problem is, I can't put my finger on what that difference is.
Stylistically, this set was all over the place, but that just adds to the charm and magic that is King Tuff. Overall, it was his standard garage-rock kind of vibe, but I loved the detours the songs took into everything from punk to psych-rock. There were moments that felt almost tender and seemed to glitter like the lights above the stage, but those moments were quickly swallowed up by moments that had just enough angst to make you let off some aggression. Again, I go back to that rollercoaster metaphor, and I know I'm using that to death here, but there's just no other way to describe it. I was locked in and ready for King Tuff to take me wherever he wanted, and by the end of the night, I reluctantly left the ride, but in my mind, as soon as I unbuckled my seatbelt, I quickly dashed to the back of the line to wait and do it all over again.
You could have sat at home or at a bar and been unsurprisingly disappointed by a Minnesota sports team, or you could have gone on the ride of a lifetime with Caution and King Tuff at The Turf Club. The choice was yours. Did you make the right one?