Concert Review: The Surfrajettes and The McCharmlys at the Turf Club

The Surfrajettes on stage at the Turf Club, March 10, 2024. From left to right, Nicole Damoff on guitar, Annie Lillis on drums, Shermy Freeman on guitar, and Sarah Butler on bass. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

Me and Annie, with special photobomb by Sarah.

Set list for the Surfrajettes, held by Annie Lillis (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

My signed photo of the Surfrajettes.

In March, I saw the rock group the Surfrajettes at the Turf Club. Devoted readers of “Mark My Words” will recall that I previously saw the Surfrajettes at the Turf Club last October, when they opened for the Electric Six. This time the McCharmlys opened for the Surfrajettes. The McCharmlys have an awesome retro-60's vibe, so their sound worked really well with the Surfrajettes. The lead vocalist Angie has a really great voice, and I enjoyed their songs. 

The Surfrajettes put on an awesome show, and it’s a treat to see their surf rock songs live. It’s fun to see the guitar interplay between Shermy Freeman and Nicole Damoff, as they trade between lead and rhythm. Their guitar work is always seamless and flows so well. This time the Surfrajettes had their usual lineup of Shermy and Nicole on guitar, Sarah Butler on bass, and Annie Lillis on drums. Sarah and Annie both did a fantastic job. Annie absolutely crushed the drum breaks on “Roller Fink,” and “El Condor Pasa,” one of my favorite Surfrajette songs. It was immediately evident what a fantastic chemistry Shermy, Nicole, Sarah, and Annie have together on stage. 

The set list featured some different songs from October’s show, although favorites like “Heart of Glass” and their version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” still made appearances. After playing “She Loves You,” Nicole said, “That’s one we wrote,” which was very funny. The band played most of the songs from their debut album Roller Fink, rocking tunes like “Warm Up,” “Roxy Roller,” “Couch Surfing,” “Surfer’s Slide,” and “Snowball.”  

The Surfrajettes are such a fun band to see live, I’m hoping they keep coming back to the Twin Cities every six months. After the show, I was able to get my 8x10 photo signed by all 4 Surfrajettes, and I got selfies with Annie and Shermy, plus a photobomb from Sarah. If you like rock and roll, surf guitars, and awesome instrumentals, go see the Surfrajettes.  

Concert Review: The Surfrajettes and the Electric Six at the Turf Club

The Surfrajettes on stage at the Turf Club in Saint Paul, October 25, 2023. From left to right, Nicole Damoff, Sam Maloney, Shermy Freeman, and Sara Eve. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

A blurry photo of the Surfrajettes on stage, but I think it still looks cool. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

Me and Shermy, co-lead guitarist of the Surfrajettes. (Photo taken by Shermy)

My signed copy of The Surfrajettes' 2022 album Roller Fink. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

In October, I saw the Surfrajettes and the Electric Six at the Turf Club in Saint Paul. I was there to see the Surfrajettes—I reviewed their 2022 album Roller Fink here, and I’ve become a big fan of their surf rock sound.

  

The Surfrajettes put on a great show and in person you can really see the guitar interplay between Shermy and Nicole, as they switch between playing lead and rhythm guitar. I was amazed at how well Shermy and Nicole are able to recreate their trademark 1960’s guitar sound in person. This lineup of the Surfrajettes also featured Sara Eve on bass and Sam Maloney on drums. Maloney’s fiery drumming propelled the band through the songs and was a highlight of the show.  

My only complaint about the staging of the show was that Shermy didn’t have her own spotlight, so she was left playing in the darkness. I’m not sure how the Turf Club didn’t understand that the co-lead guitarist should maybe have her own spotlight. But oh well.  

The Surfrajettes’ set list featured a mix of songs from Roller Fink like “Warm Up,” “Roxy Roller,” and the title track, as well as some songs that have only appeared on their singles like the Halloween song “Banshee Bop” and a great arrangement of the Peruvian song “El Condor Pasa.” The crowd really got into two of their cover versions the Blondie disco classic “Heart of Glass” and Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”  

The Electric Six were fine, but they really didn’t do anything for me. I confess that I didn’t do any research on them before the show, so I’m really not familiar with their music. And the problem with not knowing the songs at a rock show is that you won’t be able to understand the lyrics, so it’s not like you can get much sense of what a song is about. The Six were down a member, as they were without their keyboardist. I found the Electric Six an odd pairing with the Surfrajettes, as the Six just had so much “dude” energy. The Electric Six did play a cool cover version of “Eye in the Sky,” the Alan Parsons Project hit.  

The Surfrajettes are known for wearing matching outfits on stage, and for the show at the Turf Club on October 25th, they wore their “angel” outfits, complete with halos. It was a fun touch for the show. After their set, I bought the Surfrajettes LP Roller Fink and got it signed by all four members of the band. I also got a selfie with Shermy. (She took the photo, so it actually turned out well. I’m terrible at taking selfies.) Since I saw the Surfrajettes last month, they’ve already announced another tour, and they will be coming back to the Turf Club in March 2024. I already have my ticket for the show. If you want to see a fun concert by a group that has great interplay among its members, go see the Surfrajettes.  

Concert Review: Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift at the Turf Club

 

Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift at the Turf Club in Saint Paul, April 15, 2022. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

My Robyn Hitchcock swag: "Somebody Ring the Cheese Alarm!" tea towel, Robyn Hitchcock socks, and a Record Store Day 45 that Emma took to Robyn to get signed. And then re-signed after he signed the shrink wrap the first time! (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

On Friday, April 15^th, I saw Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift at the Turf Club in Saint Paul. It’s the first time I’ve seen Robyn in concert since 2018, although I’ve seen him and Emma many times through my computer since 2018 during their “Sweet Home Quarantine” web concerts. This concert at the Turf Club was the first time I’ve seen Emma sing with Robyn live. In 2018, Emma was handling the merch table, but didn’t perform.

Robyn performed two sets, and Emma sang with him on 6 songs, 3 in each set. In the first set, Robyn played the ultra-rare “For Debbie Reynolds,” which I believe he said he’s never played live before. (It was only released on a rarities and outtakes album.) Robyn played one of my favorite songs of his, “Adventure Rocket Ship,” and he also sang “Balloon Man,” probably his biggest “hit” song. The three songs Emma joined Robyn for during the first set were all lovely: “Raining Twilight Coast,” “So You Think You’re in Love,” and the catchy “Up to Our Nex.”

The second set opened with the beautiful “I Often Dream of Trains,” which resonated strongly with my friend Jo, who grew up in the same part of England as Robyn. “Sudden Town,” from the Soft Boys reunion album, reminded me that I should dig out my CD and listen to Nextdoorland again. Robyn sang the goofy “Trilobite,” which was a treat, and “Alright, Yeah,” one of my favorites from Moss Elixir, one of the first Hitchcock albums I owned. I was also very pleased to hear “Ole! Tarantula,” from the album of the same name. Robyn closed the concert with “Visions of Johanna,” the Bob Dylan song that has practically become Robyn’s own, given how many times he’s performed it.

I was thrilled that there’s more Robyn Hitchcock merchandise available, and I got a pair of polka-dot socks, and the “Somebody Ring the Cheese Alarm!” towel. I told Emma that I’m waiting for Robyn’s signature line of shirts. Her response was “I know!” Robyn’s shirt for the second set was outstanding. It had birds on it, which makes any shirt better. I was explaining to Jo that the cats on the cheese alarm towel are Tubby and Ringo, Robyn and Emma’s Scottish Fold cats, and Emma said that the only people who get the towel are “Groovers,” the nickname for those of us who watch Robyn and Emma’s web concerts.

Robyn had fewer monologues than usual, but he still went on some amusing riffs about the planet Europa, and he said that life is “scary, creepy, absurd, and beautiful.” An apt quotation from modern rock’s champion of the surreal.

Concert Review: Robyn Hitchcock at the Turf Club

Me and Robyn Hitchcock, at the Turf Club, April 25, 2018. (Photo by a kind stranger.)

On Wednesday night I saw Robyn Hitchcock at the Turf Club in Saint Paul. I reviewed Robyn’s 2017 show at the Turf Club here. Opening for Robyn was Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tristen, who was accompanied by Buddy Hughen on guitar. I’d never heard of Tristen before, but I liked her voice, even if I couldn’t understand all of the lyrics, which wasn’t her fault. I’ve long wondered why live sound systems aren’t better at making vocals intelligible. I enjoyed Tristen’s set, and she’s now on my list of artists I need to listen to.

Robyn performed with a band, which is the first time I’ve seen him with a band since the very first time I saw him live, which was back in 2009 at the Varsity. His current backing band is called the LA Squires, and features Luther Russell on guitar, Tony Buchen on bass, and Mark Sheppard on drums. It was fun to hear Robyn with a band again, as I think it gives his songs more variety. Playing with a band also allowed Hitchcock to play songs like “Goodnight Oslo” and “Adventure Rocket Ship” which sounds better played by a band. The setlist was a full range of Hitchcock’s music, spanning his career from the Soft Boys to his most recent album, 2017’s self-titled disc. A highlight for me was the humorous rocker “Viva Sea-Tac,” an ode to the Seattle-Tacoma area. Chorus: “And the Space Needle points to the sky/the Space Needle’s such a nice guy.” Robyn also reached back to 1979 for “I Wanna Destroy You,” which is now being used to sell Subway sandwiches. (No joke.)

Hitchcock closed the evening with a lovely solo version of “I Often Dream of Trains,” which is one of my favorite songs of his, followed by David Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes,” sung with Tristen, and the very funky “Grooving on an Inner Plane.” As with Hitchcock’s show last year, there were fewer surrealistic digressions in between songs, which was too bad. Also, Robyn didn’t say anything about the Foshay Tower, which is one of his favorite buildings. Fun fact: the Foshay was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River when it was completed in 1929.

As usual, Robyn signed autographs for fans, and I finally got my picture taken with him, so I can cross that off my bucket list. Robyn’s partner Emma Swift was in charge of the merchandise table, so I chatted briefly with her, and bought a very cool Robyn Hitchcock shirt. It was an excellent evening.

Setlist:

In the Abyss

Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl

Kingdom of Love

Goodnight Oslo

Viva Sea-Tac

New York Doll

I Pray When I’m Drunk

Adventure Rocket Ship

Madonna of the Wasps

Airscape

Sayonara Judge

I Wanna Destroy You

Mad Shelley’s Letterbox

Encore:

I Often Dream of Trains-solo

All the Young Dudes-with Tristen

Grooving on an Inner Plane