There are a lot of enjoyable things when regularly going to local live music. One is seeing the different band line ups and trying to find the connections between them. Another is finally catching a band who you’ve seen on lots of line ups, but never gotten to. For me, it was a bit of both as. It was a full local line up at 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis organized and headlined by We❤️Music favorite Daphne Jane.

Setting the table was Jojo Ventus Ninja, whose self-descriptor of “sexy skater boy of the Twin Cities” was brilliant and also told me absolutely nothing of what to expect. When the background music volume suddenly went way up, Jojo came out to stage and the outfit and lip synching made the part burlesque, full dance routine obviously clear. And though it was a relatively brief time at two songs, the amount of effort and skill in the dancing was top notch. Jojo used the stage, but mostly was on the dance floor, and watching the kicks and acrobatics (everything short of a back flip), say what you will of the genre, there is a pure strength and athletic ability on display that would put most people to shame. The audience was rightfully delighted by some of the power moves and Jojo Ventus Ninja left the stage having gotten the crowd buzzing.

Lana Leone was up next and we last saw the rock quartet opening for she’s green at Fine Line in August 2025. They’ve been releasing singles since their 2025 EP Spirea, including the fairly recent Paper Cranes. The band (vocals/guitar, guitar, bass, and drums) came out immediately with that distortion heavy guitar and vocalist Alana Christen’s dream pop vocals. That combo of dark, crushing guitar offset by the clear, bright singing made a compelling sound, while guitarist Josh Frenier’s metallic toned solo on the second number carried the number into its latter swell. Stating the next couple of songs were newer ones, we got some strong dissonance and feedback that partially resolved as Fernier and bassist Brandon Burmeister kicked up the on-stage intensity. The crowd was in full head bang mode and Lana Leone was impressively grungy. We got some great dynamic range on the next one, as the vocals were quiet and center stage before the near cacophony of the close brought the volume up and fully across the band. Drummer Brandon Tang may not have had a lot of flashy moments, but he ratcheted things up or let them slide down as needed and that’s a great, if unheralded, skill. The band’s biggest strength might be its easy way of starting at mid to loud volumes and finding ways to expand pretty rapidly from there. Closing on the unreleased (coming out next week!) Starshine, Lana Leone had hit that shoegaze, grunge influenced dream rock and it’s well worth tracking down.

Keeping things moving, Harlow, who have a 2025 album Cows Come Home, got set up quickly and got going. The quintet (guitar/vocals, bass/vocals, guitar/vocals, slide guitar, and drums) had an Americana rock vibe and Hope U Know had the bright drum intro (with a bit of cowbell sound) bring things in focus, and the dual vocals were crisp and fun. We also had the slide guitar as a background focal point, if that makes sense. Really, the entirety of the band had their moments, as the second guitarist took to the front on the closing strains. There was an interesting mix of sounds, with some southern rock, folk-style Americana and even a bit of indie alt all at play. Palo Alto had a slow intro before blossoming into the full fledged number, and had the lead singer getting to really open up. Another upcoming release (“in about a week”), Violet Hour was a quieter number and that lyric “I’ll believe anything” was either innocently hopeful or the mark of willful ignorance. A switch of guitar had the band nearly done and the closer Poor Heart started so quietly, but I was pleased the audience dropped all chatter to let the song build. It was a classic Americana feel for the end and Harlow had demonstrated a great range across their set.

Headlining the event was one of our favorites, Daphne Jane, who we last saw opening for Elise Trouw here in February 2026. The quintet (vocals/guitar, guitar/vocals, keyboards, bass, and drums) started with Sunbathe, and Daphne is just as fun a performer as ever. With Nate Walker on guitar Eli Awada on keyboards, Anna Lansden on bass, and Jack Sonnabend on drums, we had some real backing star power. Directly to that point, early on Daphne mentioned it was Walker’s 25th show at 7th St. Entry, a very impressive number. Headed into the new music, she started with O, to Be a Star, which is also the name of the upcoming album, hoping to get it out in August. The song was all about the tension of wanting to hit but also wanting to stay true to yourself and was a pretty damn good rock song, with Walker’s guitar interlude helping level things up. Biggest Star, the lead single from the new album, was nearly a folk rock sound and those vocals rode over the top, drawing the audience in. The only covers of the set came up and were a Clairo song Bags, which let Daphne Jane be even more emphatic vocally and Walker fly with the very electric guitar solo. Awada also got in on the action with a late keys run as they transitioned to a truncated cover of Lana Del Ray’s Venice B*tch. Down to the guitar and keyboards, Daphne Jane played the very new GNO, a song dedicated to new friends and finding that comfort in yourself. That stripped down sound was fantastic and the crowd was enthralled. The rest of the band was back on for the last songs. Closing on Ride had some fantastic bass work from Landsden (playing lefty), and the band headed off stage for a brief moment. Back with the encore Months, Daphne Jane had once again made a joyful evening and we’ll be looking for the new album and more performances soon.