Taxpayers at Underground (27 Mar 2025)

Rent Strike Setlist

1. I: Snowdrop (intro)
2. VIII: Shadow & Gloom
3. Oh, Ads!
4. III: Family Graveyard
5. Time + Decay
6. Escape II
7. They Live!!
8. Burn It All!
9. II: The Road Giveth…

Free Candy Setlist

1. Ground
2. Vase
3. States
4. Wild
5. Body’s Dead
6. Memories
7. Ash & Bone
8. Seen no More
9. Desert or Deep
10. Incased in Pine
11. 6ft Under
12. Time to Move On

     

    NOTE: Setlist titles is either in code or just incorrect. For example the first song on their set is officially called “24 Hour Society”

Tour Dates

Since this was my first (and last*) time at the Underground, I thought I could touch on the venue first. There are technically two venues, the Underground Cafe, which has signage, and it looks like a much smaller venue or quiet singer/songwriter type. It wasn’t opened at the time I arrived.

Walking to the corner, there was a folding standee sign that had an arrow pointing to the Underground Music Venue entrance. There was spacious waiting room (it’s the biggest that I’ve ever seen), before we enter the actual venue. Officially, they list 560 standing capacity, but I think they are only counting the venue area, and not cafe or waiting area. Still, the Underground is much bigger than you think. Walking in, the stage is on your right. It looks like a four-foot stage height equipped with 9 speakers and 10 amplifiers. The stage is large enough to hold a 10-piece band comfortably.

The dance floor, on your left, is also large. Looking forward, there is a merchandise area, which is placed there because it’s not exactly in sight light of the stage. Along the walls, there are seats, bathrooms, and a bar. I am assuming for all-ages shows, they don’t serve alcohol.

Overall, I thought the Underground Music Venue was smartly laid out and am really happy to have another music venue, serving the Minneapolis area. I think my only complaints are the columns that can block viewing the stage. Reminds me of old Quest or the Epic venue with the columns next to the stage.

Right now, it seems like the venue caters to young punk fans by booking punk shows. It was a very good turnout with mostly teenagers, however, there were parents and grandparents, who had shown up really early to show support for first band on the bill Free Candy (not to be confused with Psychedelic Rock/Funk from Huntsville, Alabama).

This is a very young trio, featuring Scar O’Malia (age 14) on vocals and bass, Haddie Gott (age 15) on drums, and Ani McQuillen (age 17). Given the age of the band, their debut self-titled EP rushed on Bandcamp earlier that day, I would hazard a guess that this Underground show may be their first concert (or at least the first major show).

I thought they were very good. Their powerpop music reminds me of Ash (1977 era), and they have a lot of potential still ahead of them. I overheard a few adults in the audience saying how surprised they were at how good (and well-practiced) the trio were on stage.

Between bands were food aid, community, rights organizations (trans right), and protest rally organizations. They were invited on stage to make announcements and you can get additional information at their booths if you were interested in learning more about their organizations.

According to the venue, Constant Insult was next on the bill. But at the 11th hour, the band dropped out due to their bassist Josh was sick and could not make it. Instead, they were replaced by Miracle Debt, featuring Forrest on vocals and guitars and two members from Constant Insult (Katie Thornton and Mike Wilson). I don’t think anyone (including myself) was aware of the change, because there were no formal announcements (for example on their website or socials).

Miracle Debt ended their set with “Marva”, taken from their latest album Under the Shadow.

There actually was a fourth band on the bill called Rent Strike. They were previously not announced, but judging from the Belle & Sebastian T-Shirts, I am assuming all their fans knew about their appearance at the Underground.

I have to admit, Rent Strike was my favorite, they had the anger (and humor) of a Billy Bragg protest working class song. The band is from Lansing, Michigan, and led by John Warmb with a full band, complete with a trumpeter, an upright bassist, and a cellist.

My favorite song “Family Graveyard”, which seemed to borrowed from the traditional song “Scarborough Fair”, however, it seems, based on the audience’s reaction, that they really love “Burn It All”. Most of these songs are taken from their latest Möbius Strip Mall.

Finally, Portland’s The Taxpayers closed out the show. Originally when the band formed in 2007, they were a standard rock trio (guitar/bass/drum), but as they evolved, they started adding accordion, horns, piano, harmonica, and a variety of other instruments.

Currently, the band is led by Rob on guitars and vocals, two horns, Noah on percussion, Nasrene on bass, and occasional pianist.

After a long hiatus, the band is back and they were really excited to play songs from their latest Circle Breaker, which just came out on Ernest Jenning Record Co. Songs were mostly from Circle Breaker, including their single “At War with the Dogcatchers” as the fourth song played on their set.

The record has a theme of healing and that’s also the message the band brought with them. And the message is clear, the answer is love and peace. This is why this rock show included all these local community organizations, including an anti-war protest organization.

* Due to moving to Florida in a week.