Speedy Ortiz at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (02 May 2015)

Two Inch Astronaut

There were three opening bands, local trio Bitter Canon, Maryland's Two Inch Astronaut (their first time in Minneapolis), and Boston's Krill (on tour in support of their latest A Distant Fist Unclenching). The audience seemed to have a lot of fun with all the bands, and the band had a blast playing at the tiny 7th Street stage.

Speedy Ortiz's Setlist

Speedy Ortiz's hour-long set was interesting. First of all, the band doesn't do encores; they just play an extra two songs and then immediately head over to the merch table. Like many independent bands, they make most of their money playing these shows and selling directly to fans. Secondly, their set also had little breaks, instead would often medley into the next song… so sometime there were little opportunities to clap.

Judging from Sadie Dupuis' lyrics, she seemed really smart… but lazy. For example, happy to settle for second place ("The Graduates") or trying not to complicate thoughts ("Swell Content"). A lot of the songs, at least from what I heard, were about relationship problems. However, Dupuis sounded strong, but possibly bitter, in her songs. If anything, if you love alt-90s rock (Liz Phair?), I think you'll find a lot to like with Speedy Ortiz.

Since the tour is support of their latest Foil Deer, about half of their set were songs from that album… including "Dot X", which Dupuis dedicated a picture of health (Mike Falcone). The funny story behind that was when they played with Ex Hex (in October 2014), their drummer got food poisoning, forcing him to take a bathroom break. The band waited so long they just decided to continue playing as a three piece.

Speedy Ortiz's Foil Deer is out now via Carpark Records. See them on tour with Krill and Two Inch Astronaut. Alex G & Palehound will be joining them on tour mid-May 2015.

Remaining tour dates:

05/03/15 ­ Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's Oasis *! 05/04/15 ­ Champaign, IL @ Highdive *! 05/06/15 ­ Washington, DC @ Black Cat *! 05/07/15 ­ Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter * 05/08/15 ­ Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle * 05/09/15 ­ Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Fest 05/11/15 ­ Tampa, FL @ The Crowbar * 05/13/15 ­ New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa * 05/14/15 ­ Houston, TX @ Walter's Downtown $ 05/15/15 ­ Austin, TX @ Red 7 $ 05/16/15 ­ Dallas, TX @ Club Dada $ 05/21/15 ­ Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo $ 05/22/15 ­ Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room $ 05/23/15 ­ Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium $ 05/25/15 ­ Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios $

05/26/15 ­ Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt $ 05/27/15 ­ Seattle, WA @ Barboza $ 05/29/15 ­ Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court $^ 05/30/15 ­ Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge $^ 05/31/15 ­ Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room $^ 06/01/15 ­ Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall $^ 06/02/15 ­ St. Louis, MO @ Firebird $^ 06/04/15 ­ Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory $^ 06/05/15 ­ Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern $^ 06/06/15 ­ Montreal, QC @ Bar Le "Ritz" P.D.B. $^ 07/17/15 ­ Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival * w/ KRILL ! w/ Two Inch Astronaut $ w/ Alex G ^ w/ Palehound