Icehouse brought in a fantastic double bill on Thursday night with local indie favorites YYY and Har-Di-Har. Both bands brought a unique set to the stage for friends and fans alike.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Minneapolis band YYY. We first got to know them last year when they released an album of reimagined covers of Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys featuring tons of other musicians including local favorites Al Church, POS, and deM atlaS. On Thursday night they brought original work to the spotlight.
They played their set through an intense fog, blazing strobes, and whirring synths while wearing matching Adidas tracksuits. Bandmembers Austin Carson and Jessica Anderson poured themselves into new songs that blended 60’s pop and synth-heavy psychedelic pop to create a joyful and modern sound. Their set left the crowd feeling energized and ready for Har-Di-Har.
Julie and Andrew Thoreen lead Har-Di-Har, but they brought along an impressive cast of collaborators including Patrick Marschke, Jonathan Sunde, and Eric Carranza. The five-piece band played with tempo and volume to go from delicate, to vicious, and back to an easy cruising pace during most of their indie-inspired songs. At times it felt like performance art. Julie and Andrew would often branch out into unexpected moments of making choppy sounds and slowly melding them together into an unexpected melody from which the next song would build. 
Additionally, they brought some politics with them. As they began their final song of the evening Julie shouted and repeated “We are artists! We see what is wrong with the world and we fight it!” and “follow your dreams!”. She demanded action from everyone, for every day. It was a powerful way to end a Thursday night.
