Horsegirl at Fine Line, Minneapolis (August 5, 2025)

Horsegirl Setlist Where’d You Go? Switch Over Option 8 Well I Know You’re Shy Information Content Front Runner Rock City Julie In Twos Sport Meets Sound I Can’t Stand to See You Anti-glory 2468

Tour Dates

Horsegirl Band

I’m not sure if it’s a first for We Heart Music, but last night welcomed the return of a band and its opening act that played at the same venue two years before. Also the drummer in the opening act is the younger brother to one of the headliners. So, a lot of synergy, maybe a perfect trifecta if you could gamble on music.

Godcaster opened the evening of the triple bill at the Fine Line. They are an experimental art rock band out of Brooklyn with Jodson Kolk on guitar and vocals, Bruce Ebersole on guitar, bass, vocals and keys, David McFaul on organ, guitar and vocals, Von Kolk on guitar, keys, flute and vocals, Jan Fontana on bass and Ryan West on drums. They are supporting their sophomore album, Godcaster.

The first few songs seemed unmoored by any melody or musical connection, but by the time they launched into “Didactic Flashing Antidote,” they were locked into a droning bass and tribal drums and almost sounded like a drinking song for warriors of a new era. The song went on for over ten minutes and had Jodson dancing in the crowd, a thrilling spectacle to see as the band pushed the song further and further.

Then a reprieve with Von stepping to the mic to sing “Pluto Shoots His Gaze into the Sun”, her lighter than air voice backed by the slightest of guitar strings. Then “All the Feral Girls in the Universe” from their debut album Long Haired Locusts, which was a song filled with sunshine and a flute that darted like a sparrow.

Lifeguard next took the stage. As mentioned we saw them at the Fine Line two years before, writing, “The trio (Kai Slater on guitars and vocals, Asher Case on bass, and Isaac Lowenstein on drummer) looks like they’re still in high school. They did look nervous, but, as I mentioned before, they also seemed really excited to play for us.”

Two years later there were no pre-show jitters. They are still very young, but that didn’t stop them from bringing a very loud punk spirit.

Lifeguard is supporting their new album Ripped and Torn on Matador Records, and for fun they played the first song “A Tightwire” followed by the last song “T.L.A.” which Kai had to add was the last song on the album not the evening.

Like the best of punk musicians, Lifeguard kept their songs short and had no dialogue between songs as they launched quickly from song to song. They even ended their set with “Thanks” and just like that they were gone.

Horsegirl next took the stage with a decidedly different approach to the two opening acts. Bathed in a soft hue of steel blue and rose lighting, they started off their set with “Where’d You Go?” their hushed voices setting the tone with a lo-fi ambiance.

The band formed in 2019 when Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein and Gigi Reece met at the School of Rock Program in Chicago. And like Lifeguard, they honed their musical skills by relentlessly playing music from Sonic Youth in the Lowenstein family basement.

The band is now living in NYC, but they came back to the Windy City in the middle of winter to produce their latest album Phonetics On and On, recording at Wilco’s fabled Loft Studio, their producer Cate Le Bon, who by another example of synergy will be playing at the Fine Line on a very cold day in January next year.

We love Horsegirl and by the sounds of it last night the fans at the Fine Line were equally pleased with the new album. A personal favorite was “Well I Know You’re Shy” which held some Belle and Sebastian DNA. “Julie” was a crowd favorite as Gigi finished the song with a crash of the cymbal.

Part of the fun of the evening was watching Penelope and Nora switch instruments throughout the set. Penelope put down her bass to play guitar. Then she switched instruments with Nora, and then I think they switched back. Even the band was a little confused by the time they reached “In Twos.”

“Second day on tour,” said Penelope. “Everything is going great.”

There were still kinks to work out, but it was part of the charm watching another great band from the Windy City finding their musical footing.