Last Wednesday, I went to see of Montreal, an influential queer indie pop band that I had heard a lot about, but never sat down and listened to. I got press passes, found a fellow music nerd to bring along and ventured through downtown Milwaukee to Turner Hall Ballroom to watch them perform live: light show, lofty concert weed smell and all.
About 45 minutes later, we left having seen what we thought was a great performance. However, the next day, I got a text saying that it was not of Montreal who we had seen, but their opener, Locate S,1, instead. The performance from of Montreal that night had literally become the very “LGBTQ+ History” that we had tried and failed to cover.
However, despite leaving the concert having seen a completely different band than I expected, I can still say the experience was like “The Flintstones;” it rocked and I had a gay old time.
Locate S, 1, is the creation of Christina Schneider, an experimental indie pop singer who began producing music with the support of Kevin Barnes (the lead singer from of Montreal) in 2018.
Schneider’s musical composition, a blend of synth-pop and queer indie rock, is reminiscent of bands like Men I Trust or Wallows, with vocals and lyricism that feel similar to big-name acts like Mitski or Phoebe Bridgers.
While modern indie has certainly influenced Schneider’s style, her unique acoustic technique – particularly her use of hushed vocals alongside a sedated yet catchy bass line – made the show work incredibly well.
The tracks that I enjoyed the most from Locate S, 1’s performance were “Whisper 2000” and “Personalia,” both off of its newest album release. Despite never listening to them before going in, their performances were memorable and left me wanting more – particularly with how short of a setlist they played.
In terms of the visual aspects of the concert, the atmosphere of Turner Hall Ballroom matched Locate S,1’s performance incredibly well. Everyone in the audience looked like they were having a great time and the performers themselves — right down to their impressively matched “thrift store bargain bin” outfits — were giving it their all.
In particular, a keyboard player wearing an oversized wrap-around tiger sweater and a wreath that looked like it was from “A Christmas Carol” stole the show … even before whipping out a tambourine and kicking things into high gear for the last song.
On a more serious note, Locate S,1 was also notable in terms of its representation, especially during LGBTQ+ History Month. As someone who recently came out as non-binary and has struggled with self-doubt and perception by other people, it was great to see so many other queer people on stage and in the audience dancing and having fun in their own skin.
Despite having no idea what I was going into (and even less of one once I got there) Locate S, 1’s performance was one of my favorite concerts I’ve been to in a long time. It may not be universal for everyone, but for a 45-minute concert in Turner Hall Ballroom, I felt like I had found my people — dancing, singing and wearing wrap-around tiger sweaters on stage — and at the end of the day, what more could you want out of a show in downtown Milwaukee?
This story was written by Will Eikenbary. They can be reached at [email protected].
