d’Lakes Setlist

Dare to be Bogus
Laughing as a Symbol
Not So So-So Anymore
Chardonnay Chalet
Palace of Good Karma
Crash Boom
d’Lakes v Hack
David McGee
Private Idaho

One of the great open secrets in the Twin Cities’ live music scene is the tendency for St. Paul’s Turf Club to host local bands on Thursdays. It’s quite the wide range of genres, so you are likely to be surprised even when the ads for upcoming shows look straight forward. On this pre Labor Day weekend Thursday, it was going to be particularly interesting as headliner Clung Tight was hitting the stage with the release of their very first single.

Opening things was indie glam pop band d’Lakes, who we last saw here at Turf Club in December 2025. The band has a new EP, Crash Boom, released here in August 2026, and their appearance in December was nearly an art performance on top of the music. Appearing as a septet (vocals, guitar/vocals, keyboards, bass, drums, and a pair of back up vocalists doing a lot of heavy lifting with props and more) came straight to their weird, but weirdly compelling, world with Dare to Be Bogus and the performance energy was set to eleven. When the sheet and beach balls came to the main floor on the second song and the crowd was conscripted into the grade school game, it was the complete unlock as we had dancers in the audience for the remainder of the set. Not So So-So Anymore had a deep funk undertone and this was silly beyond belief, with audience members laughing and bopping along. The bass work was a key feature of a retro sounding song in Chardonnay Chalet. After a hilarious interlude where they incorporated a Q&A related to the State Fair, the band went into playing the new EP in full (“it’s just three songs!”), with the titular Crash Boom being a disco sounding number with a new lead vocalist, whose lyrics were completely off the wall. The great guitar work on that one from Alma was critical to its success, but there was no time to reflect as the two back up vocalists were again on the floor in front of stage in creepy clown masks and a coordinated dance routine. Finishing with a spot on cover of the B-52’s Private Idaho, d’Lakes had crushed it with a high energy, wonderfully fun set.

I spoke with lead singer Drew after the set and we talked about how many bands are centered around a musical theme, with the lyrical content being the difference. Here, the world creation and lyrics are the through line and Drew said that obviously isn’t the norm. I followed up by asking about the pretty broad range of musical styles and he noted that band has a lot influences with nearly equal numbers of classical conservatory versus jazz training. The common thread of the lyrics / story line allows them to satisfy all these different interests, and is a reminder that “we should all be listening to more music”.

Next to the stage was Therapy Culture. It’s a new project from Mark Ritsema (Night Moves, who we saw at Minnesota Yacht Club in July 2026, among other bands) and self described as “Lo-fi PopArt”. d’Lakes had confirmed during their set that this was the band’s live show debut. The quartet (vocals/guitar, guitar/vocals, bass/vocals, and drums/vocals) had an indie rock vibe, and the triple vocals at different points of the first song was a great selling point. They upped that by having all four members singing on the next one, and the pedal work let that fuzz ride through. A longer instrumental intro led to a nearly Brit post punk sound and the repeated “I don’t know” lyrics had a good retro feel. The thrum of the guitar riff was the key to that one, even as the multiple vocals branched around it. (Side note: I was highly amused by Ritsema’s gum chewing throughout the set. I don’t know how that even works.) The tenor vocals really complemented the musical niche Therapy Culture were playing in, and it was great they kept mic effects at minimal to none. The irony of “this is a new one” wasn’t lost on the band doing their first show, but it was definitely an extreme edge of their sound, compared to everything else that had preceded it. The drummer was working hard here and the heavy cymbal work was just right for this one. A brilliant late set guitar solo to close a song had us near the end. Closing out with Therapy, we had a strong intro as Therapy Culture had killed their first live show.

The headliner was the brand new band Clung Tight. Releasing their debut single at this show (wide release happening tomorrow), I was curious what this self named “yachtgaze” band would bring to the table. Led by Charles McClung, the quintet (vocals/keyboards/guitar, guitar/keys/vocals, guitar/vocals, bass, and drums) were confident and that carried weight as they started playing. McClung had a great presence with his high baritone / low tenor vocals and dominant at keys or guitar as the song required. Bass work in the early going really helped define the 70’s sound they seemed to be going after. Tough Skin was a pretty emblematic song for the band, and there was a good 70’s base supplemented by more modern tendencies. Sunday Night got us a pair of vocalists up on stage in support and was a brilliant add to the band’s overall sound. Guitarist Grace Keading’s back up vocals added yet another layer of complexity and Clung Tight was definitely getting to the technical depth of a band like Steely Dan. I did appreciate that the band’s facial hair seemed to fit the era (several mustache only in the band) and a keys heavy number recalled the yacht rock aesthetic very effectively, even including a late key change. In the Devil’s Arms had Keading open on a great kick that the band took as the take off. Clung Tight was spot on here, and the four vocalists on the chorus were tremendous. Those harmonies were getting complex and after a number with five vocalists, the band rolled into a more modern sounding song and McClung’s lead vocals were emphatic and his guitar solo played into that shoegaze sound. Onto the closing song with the slightly poppy Something More, Clung Tight had made the case for why to seek out their first song, and we’ll look forward to more.