Photos: First Avenue's Best New Bands of 2021
by Cecilia Johnson and Sara Fish
March 07, 2022
“I’m tired,” KT Branscom of VIAL admitted at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2021. “I’m so tired,” Papa Mbye echoed a half-hour later. But VIAL and Mbye were just the first and second acts on the seven-band line-up, which stretched from 7 p.m. past midnight on Friday. Aside from a calmer set by Lanue, the energy cranked higher and higher all the way through the final song by Durry, the Burnsville siblings who’ve gained a serious following on TikTok.
VIAL
VIAL do what they want. That includes: 1) threatening to run over a mansplainer in “Roadkill,” 2) whipping out a kazoo solo in “Thumb,” and 3) covering Olivia Rodrigo’s “brutal,” a genius move for this young punk band.
Papa Mbye
Papa Mbye took the stage, and all of a sudden, everything was flying: his locs, the drummer’s sticks, and audience members’ feet off the floor. Mbye and his band raged through songs including “ONLYRIGHT,” “IDONTSENDSEX” (featuring 2019 Best New Band FruitPunchLoverBoy), and new track “Cool Maybe.”
Lanue
“If you’ve ever been swimming in Lake Superior in the middle of July, this song is for you,” Lanue said before singing “July,” one of the many thoughtful tracks on her self-titled album. Lanue, aka Sarah Krueger, married two of her passions — music and vintage clothing — by modeling a home-sewn dress made from curtain panels she found in a Two Harbors thrift store. Her band included bassist Steve Garrington (Low), guitarist Erik Koskinen, and pedal steel player Ben Lester.
Kokou Kah
Kokou Kah was Not Embarrassed to share his “casually lit” Afro-fusion on the Mainroom stage. The Bethel grad led a joyful set, celebrating everything from his Liberian heritage to his band’s professions (four teachers and a service industry worker!).
Honeybutter
Honeybutter’s music invites you to sit back and sway, fusing pretty vocals and gentle trumpet with lyrics about desire and chocolate raspberries. At First Avenue, they delighted old and new fans, including Papa Mbye and FruitPunchLoverBoy, who waved lighters during “Bite The Bit.”
EVV
“I get emotional,” said Evelyn Speers, the frontperson of EVV, during one of their few banter breaks. “Rock and roll!” As vulnerable and proud as they might have been feeling, Speers and their band were all muscle while performing their blues-rock songs, some of which belong to an EP they’ll release this summer. Bassist Shannon Marroney, Speers’ former Allergen bandmate, had fantastic chemistry with Speers and the crowd.
Durry
Maybe you had to grow up loving Jimmy Eat World to get Durry. That’s not my personal story, but hundreds of catchy-rock-lovin’ fans showed up to see this Burnsville sibling duo’s Mainroom debut. Austin and Taryn Durry got big on TikTok during the pandemic, and their fans carried the hype into First Avenue, buying merch and cheering extra loud when Durry encored with a cover of “The Middle.”
