One of the things about live music that I have unexpectedly come to enjoy the most are “the firsts”. That can be for me personally, in the “I have never seen that before” sense (seeing the first show with real pyrotechnics, two drummers with full kits on stage, the first lead singer up on the bar, etc.). But more often, it is the firsts for a band: first show, first headlining act, live debut of a number. Those inaugural events often come with a nervous joy and you often get a peek at the real people in the band. On a gorgeous autumn Friday in Saint Paul, we had some fairly new bands at Turf Club, giving higher chances than otherwise likely for some firsts, with UK band LEAP and Los Angeles trio OUT IN FRONT bringing some spirited alt rock to the evening.

Opening things was OUT IN FRONT. The Los Angeles based alt rockers are a pretty new band who met in 2024 when, and I love this, they were all employed as tennis coaches at a country club. With vocalist & guitarist Maddie Renner, bassist Ryan Wagner, and drummer Isaiah Volk getting some jam sessions in, they found a shared musical passion and they have been building their name with a spate of touring and a recent signing with Sony’s AWAL, which will be releasing their first official single soon. Not to say that they don’t have a number of original songs already, and I was looking forward to hearing them live. They didn’t disappoint, starting with the popular fLoAT, a hyper aggressive, grunge influenced, but heavy alt rock tone that was the signature sound of the set. Renner’s nearly screamed, but always vocalized singing was a great fit for the seriously loud instrumentation underneath and the repeated lyric on the song WAKE UP was well done. A cover of Sugar, We’re Going Down got major cheers from the audience and Renner was urging them to get more engaged and the crowd were up for it, and when the “sing it Saint Paul” command came, Renner didn’t have to worry about them coming through. Volk’s drum work was enthusiastic and a big part of that energetic drive of OUT IN FRONT. Renner took a moment to thank the crowd and the line of “we’re in LA, but I’m a Midwest girl happy to be back tonight” won over any remaining doubters on the crowded floor. I always appreciate high energy and the band had that covered. Straight Up to Space had Renner set aside her guitar and it seemed to allow her to fully lean into her vocals, with the strongest singing so far. Guitar back in hand, we got an unreleased song Fly Away (planned to be released later this Rocktober), and it featured some power bass from Wagner, whose solid stage presence gave another focal point for the crowd. A dedication to her parents who were in the audience, the band was riding high and the packed house could feel it. Closing on AROUND WE GO, OUT IN FRONT had truly energized the Turf Club in a wildly effective opening set.

London based LEAP continued the alt rock theme as they headlined the evening’s activities. They haven’t been at it too long, but they have built quite a following with multiple headlining tours in Europe since 2023. Their debut album Entropy was released almost exactly a year ago, and though I wasn’t 100%, I was pretty sure this was their debut North American tour. The band is known for its raw lyrics plumbing the depths of mental illness, the high highs and the inexorable low lows, and it connects with an ever growing fan base. The quartet (vocals, guitar, bass, and drums) got to stage and ran with it, with Over & Out a full out shred of an opener. Front man Jack Scott was using the entirety of the stage to his advantage, often using a profile stance for his attitude filled vocals. The rest of the band was with him, and I loved the early assertiveness as they lunged to the front of the stage at instrumental sections. The band seemed to be having a lot of fun, and as I’ve noted before, that carries across and audiences feel it. Sinking Feeling had the crowd fully on co-vocals and LEAP had to know they had a fan base here to support them completely. Bloodlines was a brand new number and had the whole front half of the Turf Club in dance mode. When Scott asked if anyone had seen LEAP before, we literally had one person yell, which confirmed this was the band’s first time in Minnesota. A question of “Does St. Paul shake its booty on a Friday night?” got an emphatic demonstration on I Was Never There and the song had unadulterated dance vibes at its core. Some major gratitude about making dreams come true was the prelude to Do Or Die, a somewhat slower paced, but no less emphatic song from the band. We got the full mosh pit as Scott went shirtless on Burnt Matches, and dear reader, it was on. The song had excellent underlying guitar and bass, and several sections that drew the audience clapping in, and that ratcheted volume and audience participation had the room buzzing. The Downfall had guitar and bass at their loudest and dual back up vocals raised things another level this deep into the set. Leaving the stage, they were back fast to close on Exit Signs and with that fierce number flying, LEAP had blasted through a fierce set and excitedly headed back to merch to interact with a huge group of fans.