The Doll Brawl: a Night of Transsexual Glamour and Rage at Seward Cafe - Leap Day 2024
Review by: Emily D. Schmidt, Writer
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
If you like what we are doing, please consider supporting us on Patreon, PayPal, or Venmo.
February 29, the day Camp Nenookaasi burned to the ground, Seward Cafe hosted the Doll Brawl. As a benefit for the Autonomous Yurt Union, the need could not have been more urgent, as 23 yurts were destroyed, displacing the Indigenous-led healing camp for the fourth time in 2024. On top of the four bands playing that night, representatives from COVID Aware Twin Cities and Black & Pink Minneapolis provided resources and rounded out the community-focused evening.
The venue
The front table donned a yurt-shaped donation box where a host wore a 3M Aura N95 mask. I’m still COVID cautious, and part of the reason I was so excited for this show was the mask requirement. Especially considering it was benefiting unhoused people, some of our most vulnerable neighbors, this type of community care only made sense.
After placing some cash in the yurt’s chimney, I found my place in front of the stage. If you’ve been to Seward Cafe, you know it’s an intimate venue. I eventually landed about three rows from the front and couldn’t tell how many were behind me. Before the first band started, a host reminded everyone why we were there: to support the Autonomous Yurt Union. The host proceeded to read the 1978 poem “WHERE WILL YOU BE?” by Pat Parker, a Black lesbian activist. It was a magnificently, unfortunately relevant choice for the evening.
E.T.
The first band, E.T. (originally scheduled to be Prison Ruin), opened their set with a similar message. The vocalist reminded the predominantly white queer audience (me included) that the injustices we face are due to colonialism, and that Indigenous queer folks face a specific type of oppression. The vocalist then honored the late Savannah Williams, a trans woman from Minneapolis, and Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager from Owasso, Oklahoma. They were both Indigenous and murdered within the last three months.
As the synthpunk duo tested their equipment, the vocalist commented on the anger in their sound, appropriately so given the purpose of the night. This was the second time I had seen E.T. perform, and their dark tone still entranced me. I imagined their music playing at an underground nightclub. The almost inaudible subs vibrated every body and wall in the venue. The synth beats and echoing vocals slowly burned like embers until catching fire and engulfing the audience.
S.L.O.G. - Sexy Ladies of God
I hung out in the back of the venue for this second band, mostly because I moshed for the first time ever during the previous set and was taking a break from the crowd so as to stay conscious. Still, I had no problem hearing and enjoying their set. S.L.O.G. had a classic hardcore sound, with raucous guitar riffs and relentlessly banging drums. I especially enjoyed their bass lines which often played in tandem with the guitar. They covered a G.L.O.S.S. (Girls Living Outside Society's Shit) song, which was only fitting for the night.
TOWER (on tour from Kansas City, Missouri)
After visiting the COVID Aware Twin Cities and the Autonomous Yurt Union booths, I claimed a spot on the wall for this next group and successfully stayed there for the whole set. Fortunately so, because the guitar player (the one member I could see) put on an amazing show. They climbed on top of a human-sized amp - guitar in hand. Their body shook with the sheer volume and intensity they used to play. At one point they licked the ceiling. The pit had taken over almost the entire space. A person in front of me merged in and out, and I noticed they were wearing a fluffy cow backpack, an amusing juxtaposition to their actions.
Transitioner
This final group’s set was spiritual. They were an amazing closer. Transitioner opened one song up with a curdling scream, proclaiming “IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WERE WORKERS AND CAPITALISTS FIGHTING FOR CONTROL IN THE MEANS OF SLACK. TONIGHT, THE SYSTEM FALLS IN ON ITSELF, INHERENT CONTRADICTIONS ARISE, AND THE DIALECTIC RESOLVE.” About halfway through the set, the vocalist told us we needed to go harder in the pit; they weren’t seeing enough bloody noses. A crowd member responded, “They’re under our masks!” On top of the piercing social messages in the lyrics, the screeching guitar and punchy drums created an inciting chaos that left pit members writhing on the floor like snakes in a barrel.
One thing the bass player said as this group got situated on stage has stuck with me since then. They explained how out of the dozen shows they’ve done, their sibling - a roadie - always has people come up to them and compliment them about the set, thinking they are the bassist. As two Black people, this mix-up has micro-aggressive connotations and frustrated the bassist. They went on to emphasize the importance of turning good intentions into actions and doing more than just sharing a post on social media.
For future Doll Brawls
As noted before, the crowd here, like many shows in the cities and around the country, was predominantly white. Transitioner’s message, along with E.T.’s message and the fact that the show was benefiting an Indigenous encampment, are important reminders to white showgoers like me to always consider how we bring whiteness to the music scene, no matter how many black squares we post on Instagram.
Overall, the Doll Brawl is a show I won’t forget. I heard that over $4,000 went to the Autonomous Yurt Union, and while I can’t confirm that, I do know from their Instagram that they had a successful building day afterwards thanks to the event. I can only hope that there will be more Doll Brawls in the future. Until then, continue to follow and support the Autonomous Yurt Union and Camp Nenookaasi.
