Purple Funk Metropolis-Concert Review

Purple Funk Metropolis-Concert Overview

Turf Club, St. Paul MN. 11/15/19

Walking into the Turf Club on the Friday of November 15th, it was impossible not to feel the energy. The club was nearly full, even at the early (by venue standards) hour of 9:30pm. Hundreds of people had their dancing shoes on, ready to boogie to Purple Funk Metropolis. The band is comprised of seven guys in their 20’s who have been playing together for around 3 years. Inspired by artists like New Sound Underground, Softape (formerly known as Pho), Charles Bradley, and Stevie Wonder, Purple Funk Metropolis has made a name for themselves in the Twin Cities area with their self-described ‘thick neo-disco buttermilk groovytown’ jams. Headlining the Turf Club (owned by the iconic First Avenue venue) on a Friday night is quite the bragging rights for Minneapolis artists, and Purple Funk rocked it. In an email interview post-show, Andrew Tomten stated that they love playing the Turf Club, “Everyone there is so accommodating and the sound is great. Not to mention the Clown Lounge veggie dogs!”

There’s no doubt that every single one of the guys up there was having the time of their lives. The dynamic between the seven of them is so fun to watch. Back-and-forth solos keep your focus moving from one player to the next, never leaving anyone out of the spotlight. Dueling guitar (Alex Graves and Evan Slack), groovy bass (Andy Schupp), slammin’ keys (Sam Rosenstone), jazzy drum beats (Tarek Abdelqader), and killer sax/trumpet duets (Andrew Tomten and Alex Browne), it’s nearly impossible to look away or check out. Even between songs there’s someone throwing out a groovy beat to keep the crowd moving. Additionally, it’s hard not to laugh at the ridiculous melodramatic improvisational dances; totally goofy moves paired with overly stoic facial expressions.

You almost don’t notice that the band is entirely instrumental. This can be partially attributed to the sax and trumpet melodies of Tomten and Browne. The two play off each other incredibly well, harmonizing and soloing as if their instruments were lead singers...and there’s arguably nothing better than a muted trumpet solo!

The band threw some fun tunes into their set list including a cover of Canned Heat by Jamiroquai, which had Kai Brewster from General B and the Wiz as a surprise cameo vocalist, a cover of the Austin Powers theme song, and a never before heard original titled ‘This Just In’, which starts out in the style of a television newscast, syncopated keyboard intro and all. The song is intended to be on their next album that is in the early planning stages.

There wasn’t a soul in the house whose hips weren’t shakin’, or whose heads weren’t bobbing. The band has a groove that doesn’t quit. Even their slower tempo songs kick into a steady groove that keeps you moving. According to Tomten the goal of the band is to get everyone to dance without any concern of how stupid you look, stating, “because once that feeling is in the air, it’s just the best experience ever, for everyone involved. That feeling of the whole room being one singular, funky entity.”

The band encouraged this philosophy towards the end of the show by having the whole audience raise their fists and repeat the ‘Purple Funk Lord’s Prayer’, “Keep it silly, keep it light, keep it funky, keep it tight!”

Purple Funk Metropolis can be seen opening for Koo Koo Kangaroo on November 29th at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.

Published Thursday 11/21/2019. Written by Joslyn Danielson.