For my first indie-rock concert, I went down to The Basement East to hear She’s Green, a Minneapolis-based band with dreamy vocals, guitar melodies, a powerful bass and exciting drums. The band impressed the crowd of students, young couples and a few older Slow Pulp fans with their energetic set.
She’s Green attached each song to a different color, setting the mood for the audience. The first song of the night, “Graze,” was set with their signature green; the light illuminated against the smoke pouring off the stage. The second song came out with a much more upbeat cadence, changing the lights from this soft green to a punchy red and gold. As the third song came into play with soothing dark blue lighting, I started to admire the band’s fashion. They were dressed casually in dark jeans and cargo pants, complete with T-shirts and flannels. The lead vocalist wore a billowy long-sleeved black dress, standing out from the rest of the band. The band’s style was reflected in the audience as well, who could be seen in T-shirts, jeans and Converse.
The band got on the microphone to introduce their recently released song, “Little Birds,” under deep purple lighting. The next transition featured a more punchy and upbeat song tosegue into their next piece, co-produced with a Slow Pulp guitarist Henry Stoehr. At the mention of Slow Pulp, the crowd burst into excitement. This co-produced song, “Figurines” was received with loud cheers and enthusiasm.
The crowd’s energy continued as the set morphed back into the band’s signature green and a new beat started forming. On the mic, one of the members said, “this one’s unreleased”before jumping into the music. When the song ended, the band joked that they hadn’t come up with a name yet. Someone in the crowd screamed “release it,” which brought the band to a chuckle before responding that they should come up with a name, adding that they were “recording very soon.” She’s Green ended their set with one last song — starting slowlyand then dropping into a beat that brought up the energy of the entire room. They concluded by thanking the crowd and making way for Slow Pulp.
While waiting for Slow Pulp to begin, I had the opportunity to meet the band as they were selling their merch called “She’s Greenery.” As it turns out, their music is set around lots of nature motifs and is meant to “be [a] positive” way for fans to have fun,” as commented by band member Raines Lucas. When asked about their formation, they explained how their band formed during college and urged the idea that college is a time to explore and be creative!
Shortly after, Slow Pulp, a Wisconsin-based indie–rock band, took the stage. With Slow Pulp and She’s Green having collaborations, I expected them to have very similar styles, and in some ways they did. Both bands had a lead female vocalist, a few guitarists, a bassist and a drummer, and can be categorized as having a dreamy indie style. However, instead of having one predominant color for each song, Slow Pulp had lots of strobe lighting and changing colors. They loved to interact with the crowd by pointing the mic out for the audience to join in. At one point, vocalist Emily Massey told everyone to “feel free to sing along,” and the crowd did so. One fun moment of the night happened when a member dropped their guitar and quickly said, “guitar down,” making the audience laugh.
While She’s Green brought more attentive listeners, Slow Pulp brought the audience to cheer and sing along. They even came back out for an encore of two songs after consistent cheering from the crowd. Some popular songs of the night included “Falling Apart” and “Yard.” To end their segment, they thanked the fans for coming and She’s Green for opening. It is evident that the two bands share a connection, and their styles meld well together.
After this experience, I’d highly recommend checking out new artists and styles you haven’t heard before. Slow Pulp brings electric energy and excited fans as they shred on guitar and play fun melodies. As for She’s Green, you‘ll be enchanted by the changing set colors and themes of nature sprinkled throughout their songs. As the band themselves said, it is truly a fun and positive time to enjoy!
