Back when I was scanning the possible concerts to attend in the first week of November, one of the gems that caught my attention was a Thursday show over at 7th St. Entry. It checked all the boxes, with a deep line up of local Twin Cities indie bands, and with the headliner celebrating an album release, I didn’t need any more reasons to see Lily Blue headline an exciting evening.

Things kicked off with mouthful, an indie rock band based out of Minneapolis. It appears the lineup might be a little fluctuating, but largely centers as a quartet. They’ve got a bit of released music including a mini EP in 2026’s Grieving Ritual. Initially coming to stage as a duo, both on guitars and singing, the first song was “about having Lyme disease for a month”, and was a nice warm up, pulling the audience in. The remainder of the quartet (slide guitar and drums) came to stage and the indie folk poured through on Fruit Fly and Bean Bastounes was a solid center on vocals there. A live debut of American Flag let that slide guitar shine and its biting vocals were perfect for the dour guitars. Keepsake had the other guitarist change to bass and the bass and drum combo was a key draw to that song, though it might also have been the best full sound of the entire band as well, with the dual vocals and a brighter slide guitar solo. Another change of instruments to bass and violin had the band close on their namesake song, and mouthful had gotten the night going strong.

Hazelcreak was up next and the indie folk band is the brainchild of singer songwriter Benjamin Richter. With the 2021 album Gopher State, there is an interesting mix of instrumental music with more traditional indie folk. Appearing as a quartet (vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards), sitting across the front of the stage, Hazelcreak had a bit of Bon Iver vibe to them, even down to the occasional use of the auto tuned vocal effect. Wallowing had the keys and guitar nearly in an electronica mode at the front, and Richter’s reverb tenor vocals played into that mood effectively. Woodridge had a backing drum beat that almost sounded like a typewriter and had Richter in a good, clear falsetto before coming down to the bottom end of his singing register. Poppy was a new one and was another song playing within the nexus of indie folk and electronic pop. Loomin was the final song and had the band in the most rock & roll song of the set and Hazelcreak had spun a pleasing electro pop sonic web.

I’d tell you we try not to have favorites here at We Heart Music, but dear reader, that would be a lie. And one of those artists we always look forward to seeing is Mike Kota. Her brand of indie rock is amped up by her great alto vocals that you can hear on EPs like 2023’s Turning a Corner. We last saw Kota opening for Manchester rockers elbow next door at First Avenue in October 2025. Unlike that solo show, she was with the band here and the quartet (vocals/guitar, guitar, bass, and drums) started with Green Lights and this was a fantastic rock tone that had Kota’s vocals front and center, even with the excellent Nate Walker’s great guitar work in support. The intro build up to Rift was only the start, as that song increased in intensity throughout and both Kota’s deep alto and Walker’s guitar were amplified by the strong drums. A new song in Killing Game had the reverb set heavy and somehow that only made the vocals richer and that opening solo work exploded as the band came in hard to support. As they ended on Corner, it was another banger and Mike Kota had deeply impressed in their time on stage, and we’ll keep looking for more opportunities to see them in the future.

Headliner Lily Blue was up supporting a debut album release of Dog Years. The band doesn’t have a long history of released music, with a handful of singles, so there was some excitement for the album. Oh How Lovely set the mood with a sweet but solid indie rock, as the quartet (vocals/guitar, guitar, bass, and drums) settled in, and I would argue that their self descriptor of soft rock undercuts the complexity of what they are bringing to the table. How It Goes continued the run of songs from the new album and I was pleased with how comfortable the band was on stage and it must have been such a great feeling to be playing these songs to a sizable audience. Noting this was their first headlining show at 7th St. Entry, the joy was palpable, even as the overall energy was pretty professional and subdued. Closer (as in near, not as in finisher) had both great bass and supporting guitar solos as the band really got to shine on this one. We got a guest saxophonist on stage for Circe’s Interlude, a quite different instrumental that revealed some jazz influences. It was hilarious that we were going to get even newer songs than the album, and Only If was a long and intricate number that continued to highlight the strengths of the indie rock vibe. Nearing the end, we hit the title track of Dog Years, a quieter starting, but emphatic song that let the entire band seem to expand their sound, with different effects and great dynamic changes in the latter end that blew into full rock. Back for an encore, the request was for a mosh pit, “it’s our most moshable song?” which actually happened with a tangle of bodies for the cacophonous chorus. Lily Blue had nailed their headlining act and as they interacted with family, friends, and fans at the merch table, it was the close to a highly enjoyable evening of local music.