Almost October, and Wednesday night was as balmy as any summer eve. Downtown Minneapolis was subdued with little activity, which made the stroll to First Ave a pleasant walk. So pleasant it seemed a shame to step into the secluded, musical alcove of 7th Street Entry.

As an aside, it had been a while since I was last at this venue, and I had an odd sensation of it being too small when I stepped into the room. It felt like seeing your childhood bedroom as an adult. But I don’t think the stage shrunk. And it only took a few minutes to acclimate and remember that this is one of the best venues for up-close, intimate concerts.

The tenor of music for the evening was not going to be subdued as Zastava opened up with a howling set. They are from Detroit, MI, and they are Mateja Matic on guitar and lead vocals, Arman Bonislawski on guitar, Cameron Frank on bass and Andrew Czajka on drums. They formed their band in 2019, and are supporting their debut album, Buildings, which was released in June of the year.

They were pretty quiet between songs, but seemed to channel all their energy into their songs. As Monster Children described them live:

Their fervor and precision chaos applied to an on-stage presence that was both confident and scrutable, assembled yet dangerous, combined with songs that are genuinely danceable and undeniably alluring.

Their sound is definitely post-punk, and it felt like they were heavily influenced by the rambunctious tonal screeds of Modest Mouse. I have to say by the time they reached their last song, I was finding their groove.

Zastava

Radio Free Alice next took the stage, and they sounded a lot more seasoned than most bands that play at 7th Street Entry, meaning they have a strong musical identity. They might be on their first headlining tour, but they’ve already played at SXSW and the Shaky Knees Music Festival and opened for The Killers, Royel Otis and Django Django .

Radio Free Alice is from Melbourne, Australia and consists of Noah Learmonth on lead vocals and guitar, Jules Paradiso on guitar, Lochie Dowd on drums and Michael Phillips on bass and occasional tenor sax. They are supporting their third EP, Empty Words, which was released in August. And as they played through their too brief set, you could hear echoes of The Cure, The Smiths and New Order. And it’s that sound that is gathering fans as they tour the country. Their North American portion of the tour is winding down, so make a note to check them out on their return.

Fun Fact: Both bands played songs that were auto related. Zastava played “Subaru Outback” and Radio Free Alice played the vanilla flavor of all cars “Toyota Camry.”