Brigitte Calls Me Baby Kicks off Tour with Rocking Minneapolis Concert

Rising rockers Brigitte Calls Me Baby opened their biggest tour yet in Minneapolis, ripping through their hour-long set of fast guitars, swoon-worthy vocals, and a nice surprise song.

The Chicago-based band had a good amount of area friends and family present in the sold-out Fine Line. The band has quickly ascended from previous shows at the 7th Street Entry and Surly Brewing’s beer garden, generating much buzz on The Current along the way.

The band derives its name from lead singer Wes Leavins’ brief high school pen pal relationship with Brigitte Bardot. The French actress/singer/model even appears on one of the band’s shirts.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the band embraces retro romanticism in lyrics and style. Leavins himself admits loving “noir” and being “a fan of French fashion and movies.” Ironically, their debut LP is titled “The Future is Our Way Out,” though the band draws comparisons to past acts.

Leavins projects one part Elvis, one part Morrissey. At times, his early influence of Roy Orbison seems present, crooning over the band’s three guitars that hit like a mix of The Strokes and The Smiths.

Before taking the stage, band members set up their own gear, another tenet of their hard-working tenacity. An eager member of the crowd asked guitarist Jack Fluegel if the band would play “Eddie My Love” (arguably their most popular song), and Fluegel assured her it would be on the setlist.

Taking the stage, the snappily dressed band opened with the popular tracks “Palm of Your Hand” and “Pink Palace.” The songs immediately portrayed the complexities of love, whether longing or in the case of the latter, moving on from tragedy.

As for “Eddie My Love,” Leavins commented that song and The Current got them there today, to which the crowd cheered in delight. And Leavins’ vocals hung on the walls of the venue as the guitars settled during the chorus.

Similarly, their newest single “Too Easy” again showed his range, holding extended notes as the band melodically strummed through them. Closing the set was their hit “We Were Never Alive,” a title that plays ironically for a singer with some likeness to Robert Pattinson‘s Edward from the Twilight saga.

A highlight of the encore was an impressive up-tempo version of Wham’s “Careless Whisper,” a cover that begs to be released on music platforms (or at least be a concert staple). Pushing the tempo further was “Impressively Average” and its earworm chorus. And before closing with the title track of their new LP, the band thanked the crowd and imparted them to meet at the merch table.

Opening the evening was Minneapolis indie band League Two, who entertained the audience not only with songs like “Naz Reid Book Club” but also a variety of instruments and incredible use of graphics and video on the rear screen.

“The Future” may be the “Way Out,” but with a continued ascension of success for Brigitte Calls Me Baby.