On Feb. 14, Indigo de Souza performed in Minneapolis at First Avenue for a packed crowd of fans bathed in multi-colored, glowing lights. Though Valentine’s Day is a holiday for romance, my Valentine’s festivities marked a fun night out with my housemates as we traveled through fresh snowfall to see de Souza headline. She is currently on tour for her most recent album, “All Of This Will End,” which was released in April 2023.
By the time my housemates and I entered the venue, de Souza’s opener, Truth Club, had begun their set. Truth Club is an indie rock band from North Carolina, which is also where de Souza hails from. They performed songs from their second album, “Running From the Chase” and they quickly captured the crowd’s attention. Songs like “Clover” and “Siphon,” as well as “Not an Exit” (from their debut LP “Not an Exit”), established a cohesive and dynamic grunge sound.
Their music was striking and very easy to nod your head along to. At different points during their performance, the bass thumped so heavily throughout the room that I thought my heart would fly out of my chest. Truth Club played a captivating set that intrigued me so much that I bought a shirt from their merch table and got the chance to meet the lead singer, Travis Harrington, and drummer, Elise Jaffe.
After Truth Club’s exit, a slight lull set in as the crowd recuperated and waited in anticipation for de Souza to start. Within minutes, Indigo de Souza and her band began to set up, when all of a sudden Rihanna’s “Disturbia” started blasting from the speakers. A brief moment of confusion quickly turned to excitement, and everybody danced and screamed the lyrics by heart (myself included). Just as quickly as the song began, Rihanna’s voice was cut off by de Souza and her band, who were now ready to start.
Indigo de Souza started off with many of her newer songs, including “You Can Be Mean,” “All Of This Will End,” and “Wasting Your Time.” She is a magnetic and vibrant performer, artfully adjusting her tone and intensity to match each song. Equally magnetic and lively was her bass player, Landon George, whose infectious enthusiasm made my friends and me quite happy.
In between songs from her most recent album, de Souza performed a few from her 2018 album “I Love My Mom,” like “Sick in the Head” and one of her most well-known songs “How I Get Myself Killed.” Interestingly, de Souza did not play one of her bigger songs off of that album, “Take Off Your Pants,” which made me feel a tad disappointed since I was looking forward to screaming, “take off your pants!” in a context where it’s actually appropriate and encouraged.
A handful of songs from 2021’s “Any Shape You Take” also made it into her performance, including “Hold U’’ and “Kill Me.” De Souza’s performance of “Smog,” however, made up for any songs she chose not to play. That song was absolutely my favorite of the night. When de Souza reached the chorus, singing “I come alive in the nighttime, when everybody else is done,” the crowd truly did come alive, and it was wonderful to witness. Bright red and orange lights shone down on the audience as they danced and loudly sang along. I don’t think any other song generated as much excitement as “Smog,” a testament to its catchy sound and identifiable lyrics.
De Souza only took a few breaks during her set, but each time she spoke to the crowd, she spoke genuinely and talked to us as though we were close friends. In honor of Valentine’s Day, she gave us relationship advice by telling us we should know our worth when it comes to romantic connections, which reflects a prevalent theme in her discography.
Indigo de Souza has an impressive ability to sound raw and emotional in a controlled and graceful way. Both her voice and music are incredibly unique, and her songs have a consistent sound without sounding the same. This distinctiveness stems from the way she manages to convey overwhelming and volatile emotions in each of her songs. Her show felt personal and comfortable despite the more intense themes in her music, which include coping with heartbreak and accepting our own mortality.
The energy of the room on Feb. 14 was buzzing and colorful, proving that live music is truly incomparable to recorded music. It has a life of its own, and witnessing it collectively with strangers who all share a love for this one musical artist is a lovely experience. Small venues, like First Ave. & 7th St. Entry, enhance these concert-going experiences with their more intimate spaces, which allow people to organically connect with the artist and truly immerse themselves.
It felt like an illusion was shattered when my housemates and I left the warmth of First Ave. to make the snowy trek home. Indigo de Souza is a fantastic performer, and I will look out for more music from her, as well as Truth Club, in the future.
