“The Great Impersonator” by popstar Halsey, released on Friday, is a meditation on the struggles of fame and grief.

The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Ashley Frangipane, unpacks their two-year-long battle with chronic illness by asking what would have been different if she had debuted throughout different music eras.

The 30-year-old artist, who uses she/they pronouns, said in an interview with PAPER magazine they had been diagnosed with a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder on their birthday two years ago. Being on tour and a new mother to a young son, Halsey formed her fifth studio album as a collection of impersonations of influential artists that inspired her throughout her life as she thought she was dying.

The album is the circus act of the century, according to Halsey’s official website.

The description of the album said, “Witness the uncanny ability of a woman who can become anyone. Anything your heart desires. Friend, lover, foe. She transforms before your very eyes, her voice and visage a reflection of your deepest dreams and darkest fears.”

But Halsey’s chameleon-like ability to change personas is something to be on guard against, as the description goes on to describe Halsey as “the Queen of the Uncanny, the Mistress of Metamorphosis. Beware of the Great Impersonator!”

The diagnosis and treatment process infused her writing process for the album as she unpacked in her Britney Spears-esque song “Lucky.” The early 2000s-inspired song appeared to dissect the pressure of her illness compounded with the weight of her fame.

The refrain “Cause I’m so lucky, I’m a star” was surrounded by the anxiety of pursuing fame and accompanying scrutiny of strangers online, like the criticisms of her fluctuating weight due to treatment or shaving her head for the fifth time in her life.

Pulling inspiration from iconic musicians like David Bowie, Fiona Apple and Dolly Parton, Halsey seamlessly slips between genres, performing the 70s Fleetwood Mac-inspired “Panic Attack” as an ode to Stevie Nicks as Halsey equates falling in love to an oncoming panic attack.

Examining her journey through motherhood, “I Believe in Magic” is another love letter to Halsey’s 3-year-old son, Ender. A tribute to Linda Ronstadt, Halsey examines the early years of her son’s life while she was sick and her own relationship with her mother. Beautiful and emotional, the song is a testament to her love for her son and her mother. 

“And I remind myself a time will come when he sees me turn gray/ And realizes too late / Like I did with my mother / So now I tell her to her face / With all my roots above / and all my branches down below / Please tell my mom I love her so,” said Halsey in the second verse of “I Believe in Magic.”

Throughout the shifting genres of the album, Halsey addresses her anxiety about treating her illness while being a single mother. The voice of her son is woven throughout certain songs, like in “Letter to God (1998)” where the singer begs a higher power to answer her questions and intervene — Do people love her or her fame? Why make her so sick now that she is a mother?

Another highlight of the album is “Dog Years,” the third track on the album. The first verse plays into Halsey’s struggles through the treatment process and sets the tone for the grunge-rock ballad inspired by PJ Harvey saying, “They said I have a universal blood type/ I can give to anyone in need/ But only receive from someone exactly like me.”

Continuing with references to blood types and treatment the song reflects the darkest aspects of chronic illness, as Halsey likens themself to a lame horse that needs to be put down. The lyrics sound like a dog lashing out in anger and confusion as the songwriter expresses her frustrations as her health worsens.

Despite the wide-ranging genres of the album, “The Great Impersonator” is a cohesive and vulnerable journey through Halsey’s two-year struggle with her health, fame and motherhood. There is a song for everyone on the album, no matter your music taste, each unpacking an aspect of growing older and withstanding change.

The Minnesota magazine Rain Taxi hosted its yearly Twin Cities Book Festival this weekend at the State Fairgrounds, with over 140 exhibitors for readers of all ages to enjoy.

Tucked away in The Eco Experience building, the book festival hosted local booksellers, publishers and authors on Saturday. For 24 years, the event centered on local authors and literature of all genres for the visitors.

“We’re focused on trying to create a snapshot of the year,” said Eric Lorberer, editor and executive director of Rain Taxi. “We could probably have a week-long festival and still not have time for it to really show every single person’s new book.”

The festival originally started at the Loft Literary Center but grew in venue sizes each year until they settled at the Minnesota Fairgrounds, according to Kelly Everding, Rain Taxi designer and operations director.

While featured authors spoke at panels in the four corners of the building, visitors of all ages were encouraged to wander the space. Local booksellers like Magers & Quinn Booksellers and The Book House in Dinkytown lined the back row, offering a selection of their books while the center of the room was packed with booths.

“There’s just a big buzz of energy and positivity,” Everding said. “That’s kind of my favorite part. Just watching people come and go, all different kinds of people going up and down the book fair aisles and discovering new books.”

Some booths hosted author book signings while others offered specialties like Steve Prokop’s bookbinding, AutismLM’s educational short stories and Six Orchids Boutique’s blind date with a book. For $30, visitors could pick out a book based on a quick summary of the plot, a handmade bookmark, two stickers and a tote bag with original art on it to carry their purchase.

Button Poetry, a Twin Cities Book Festival regular and iconic publisher in the poetry world, also hosted local authors as well as a selection of their poets’ published works for visitors to look through.

Tanesha Kozler, director of publishing operations for Button Poetry, said that the festival reflects one of the core values of their group by offering the opportunity to connect with the community.

“The thing that makes it so exciting is that you get to have a direct connection and relationship with the people that buy your books, or even people that are just interested in literary spaces and reading,” Kozler said.

Kozler described an interaction with a visitor in the early hours of the festival. The father was sent by his daughter with a list of booths to visit for her, including Button Poetry as she had submitted her own poetry to them in the past. The father left the festival with some free mementos from the booth to prove his visit.

“It was cool to see the way that someone’s parent would go out of their way to support a passion of their child,” Kozler said.

A few rows down from them, the Aya Collective hosted participating authors Jameelah Crawford and Ayolanda Mack to represent the organization at the festival. The collective centers the work of Black women, according to its founder Ebony Aya.

The book festival presented an opportunity for authors of the collective to meet with the community who had read their work, as well as those who had not.

“That’s the underlying message of the collective, that these stories are written by us, but it’s not just for us,” Aya said.

Everding and Lorberer said they hope visitors leave with some new books and an understanding of the passion and hard work books represent.

“It takes a lot of effort to write and it takes even more effort and belief to invest in publishing a book and trying to make it appear beautiful and appear to be something that people want to carry with them and have as a part of their lives,” Lorberer said.

Rain Taxi will host a final event on Nov. 2 with New York Times bestselling cartoonist Jeffrey Brown to bookend the festival before they begin planning for next year’s book festival.

“Books really represent the pinnacle of humanity,” Lorberer said.

Celebrating the Halloween spirit, the one-woman play “Broomstick” opened on Oct. 10 at the local Open Eye Theatre. With themes of love, betrayal, witchery and murder, the show is perfect for the season. 

Performed solely by actress Cheryl Willis, the play follows a village witch recounting the plights and pains of her life to the audience. The monologue unfolds as a conversation between Willis and the audience, who takes on the role of a village child visiting after many years away from the witch. 

Written by New Orleans playwright John Biguenet, the play pulls from familiar fairytale elements like tragic first loves and a possibly nefarious witch to create a timeless story, even 10 years after its original publication. Open Eye Theater’s Joel Sass took on the director role and introduced the show as a “visit from a witch” that he is merely sharing with the audience. 

Willis’ performance can only be described as a supernatural force of nature, delivering an 80-minute monologue without any breaks or intermissions. Aided by occasional sound cues of crows squawking or the howling wind, Willis portrays the absent-minded and somewhat kooky witch as a woman desperate for connection. 

This desperation is further highlighted by the stories she tells the audience. Regaling the audience with tales from her childhood, the unnamed woman walks the audience through the loss of her first love, the deterioration of her family and the death of a village girl who tormented her. 

Throughout the play, I was left questioning if the witch is as benevolent as she claims because, throughout her stories, she claims she never intended for any of her magic meddling to harm anyone. It was completely coincidental that the townspeople who wronged her throughout her life suffered great misfortune like wart-covered hands and poor harvests.

The show unfolds in her hut, lit by a crescent moon and multiple warm fires. The set is another strength of the show, appearing lived-in as the witch moves around the stage. Though the space was small, it was brought to life by the assortment of witchy knick-knacks and trinkets, illustrating her long life before this moment we, as the audience, are welcomed into. 

This unique set decoration is mirrored by the charming theater’s atmosphere. The building has no waiting room, the doors opening directly into the open-concept theater. The theater itself warrants a visit for its interior decoration. Giant blue curtains block outside light from the street and intricate puppet theaters line the wall above the bathrooms, creating a unique atmosphere for its audience.

While the show is built around an incredibly strong performance by Willis, there are still areas that can be improved. Future performances could benefit from more sound cues to break up moments of stagnant monologue. 

Yet, the unending conversation felt intentional as Willis continued on rhyming tangents that devolved further into her musings about life and love. It felt like being trapped in a conversation with an older family member creating an uneasy tension as the witch’s more sinister actions are revealed.

Oct. 1 marked the third annual Vintage Fall Crawl, a local event centering on woman-owned second- hand shops in the Twin Cities. 

For all of October, customers can travel to 15 vintage shops throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul with their crawl passports to visit the businesses. All of the proceeds from the passports go towards the YWCA of St. Paul and Minneapolis. 

Rebecca Sansone, one of the original organizers for the crawl and owner of The Mustache Cat, said the nonprofit’s goals of empowering women and eliminating racism are the core of the event. She wanted to uplift the community she had found in the vintage community. 

“We love that they’re working in our communities to do exactly what their mission says, empower women and eliminate racism,” Sansone said. 

The crawl started as an idea to link the different communities of each shop, inspired by popular bar crawls shop-owner Amanda Baumann had seen in the Twin Cities.

Baumann opened her shop Tandem Vintage three years ago after leaving her previous field of work that left her feeling unfulfilled. After selling vintage on the side for many years, she decided to open her own shop. 

“I’ve always been a second- hand shopper and a thrifter, and in 2010 I started selling vintage,” Baumann said. “I had so much fun with it over the years, and I eventually opened my shop.” 

This love and history of being a vintage shopper was echoed by other shop owners in the crawl. 

“I have been collecting probably forever,” Sansone said.

Growing up in New Jersey, she would spend every weekend at a flea market or local antique shop with her father. On these visits, she was inspired by a local store owner, Jude, who had an eye for vintage finds. 

Betty’s Antiques owner, Liz Murphy, 55, opened her vintage shop two years ago, naming it after her thrifty grandmother who inspired her love of vintage home goods. After working a corporate job at Target for 19 years, she was at a crossroads. 

“Life is short, and I’ve put in the hard work for all these years,” Murphy said. “I just want to do something that I love and on my own.”

Lindsey Cason, co-owner of the shop Carousel + Folk opened the second-hand home goods shop with her cousin after years of selling vintage goods on Etsy. The store incorporates sourced vintage goods, as well as flowers, produce and eggs from Cason’s family farm. 

“My husband and I had always dreamed of owning a farm,” Cason said. “Our goal with our farm is to provide for our family and also make income off of it. Because why not when you have land and the ability to?” 

The crawl also centers on vintage fashion shops, like Up Six Vintage in St. Paul. Store owner Megan McGuire grew up around vintage clothing her whole life. Her mother kept many pieces from her childhood that McGuire and her siblings wore regularly. 

“I grew up having all of that at my fingertips if I wanted,” McGuire said.

Up Six Vintage recently passed its 23rd anniversary in September. The shop curates vintage clothing that is dry cleaned and ready to be worn the day of purchase, so customers in a pinch can wear their finds immediately after purchase. 

Another long-standing shop featured in the crawl is Encore Boutique, a women’s second-hand clothing boutique that originally opened 30 years ago. For the past seven years, it has been led by 44-year-old Molly O’Keeffe. 

O’Keeffe worked in the retail industry since she was 16 but always dreamed of having her own shop since she was little. Loving vintage fashion as a child and dedicating a portion of her store to it, she was happy to participate in the crawl for a second time.

“I feel very fortunate to be included in this group of women and be part of it,” O’Keeffe said. 

The crawl has created a sense of comradery in participating shop owners, creating a support system that celebrates each other’s victories instead of fostering competition. 

“There’s a different investment when you’re working for yourself, not just monetarily,” McGuire said. “It’s kind of your soul you’re putting out there, and almost like nobody really understands unless they’re doing it too.” 

At the heart of the crawl, its organizers said they hoped the event would link their stores and foster a community within the vintage fashion movement. 

“We are our businesses, right?” Sansone said. “And so they’re a reflection of us and what we bring to the broader community. So I think we’re worth investing in.”

I had never desired to leave a theater in the middle of a film until watching “Joker: Folie à Deux” in a nearly empty AMC theater on Saturday.  

Released on Oct. 4, Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie à Deux” follows Arthur Fleck and the consequences of the six murders he committed in the previous movie. Framed around Fleck’s impending court case, the movie could have been a dissection of the American justice system and its neglect of mental health. 

Instead, it was a musical that did not want to admit it was a musical and currently stands with a 30% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

There are performances in this film that are genuinely well-performed. Joaquin Phoenix reprising his Oscar-winning role as Fleck is a highlight of the film. Phoenix subtly portrays a man struggling between a diagnosis of multiple-personality disorder and a persona celebrated by the people of Gotham. 

A redeeming scene is Fleck being forced to face the fallout of his violence during the court case. Whatever justification Fleck has for his actions is ripped away when a former friend and coworker Gary Puddles, beautifully performed by Leigh Gill, breaks down on the stand as he testifies about the fear he now lives with after witnessing one of Fleck’s brutal murders. 

Phoenix expertly portrays Fleck’s utter confusion at the horrific impact his actions had on someone he actually liked. Instead of taking accountability for the harm he caused, he attempts to explain it away like a child caught breaking a toy, illustrating his complete detachment from reality. 

Another strength is the film’s condemnation of state-sanctioned mental health facilities. Arkham Asylum feels like a brutally realistic depiction of an underfunded and abusive mental hospital. Brendan Gleeson shines as Jackie Sullivan, a corrupt guard who forms an attachment to Fleck, dancing between pity and abuse in every interaction. 

It’s a shame that these elements were not explored more thoroughly. 

It’s a greater shame that the musical elements of the movie were so poorly executed that audible sighs were heard in the theater anytime a number would begin. 

The artistic choice to reflect Fleck and Lady Gaga’s Lee Quinzel falling madly in love through multiple musical numbers would have been a fun one, had they not been so long and frequent. Despite their beautiful voices, the scenes dragged on for far too long. But, this could be said for the entirety of the movie. 

I am all for long movies if the film can justify the length. “Folie à Deux” did not. 

Centering on the court case left the movie stagnant, cutting the audience off from any world outside of the asylum or the courtroom. While the colorful musical scenes take up what felt like a majority of the movie, they offer little distraction from the glaring pacing issues. 

I can only describe the nearly three-hour run time experience as similar to watching a turtle race with no established end in sight. The movie dances from scene to scene, setting up very little stakes for the audience.  

Gaga’s portrayal of Harley Quinn is interesting. Instead of unpacking the complicated backstory of the iconic comic book character, the film decides to portray “Lee” as another one of Fleck’s abusers. It feels like a poor choice to flip the dynamic, considering the context of the abusive relationship of Quinn and Joker in the source material.

This film’s Harley Quinn left me feeling like I had watched an extended music video for Gaga’s new album. This is not necessarily a problem, as I am a fan of Gaga and her music, but a jarring choice nonetheless.

Unfortunately, the movie does not do enough with the impact created by its predecessor or the themes it set up. It drags on through colorful but bland musical numbers to a melodramatic court proceeding where almost nothing happens besides a shocking ending that left me with whiplash and a feeling of complete disappointment. 

Thank goodness there are no more high-budget sequels to beloved properties this year, right?

Early last week, Disney announced Tamara Smart will be playing Thalia Grace in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” the Disney+ adaptation of Rick Riordan’s hit book series. The announcement was met with celebration from fans across social media, but Smart’s casting reminded many of the backlash her co-stars had initially faced. 

Social media was rife with backlash to multiple adaptations across streaming platforms, as each show adapted its predominantly-white source material with diverse casts. 

Thursday marks the season two finale of Amazon Prime’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” a television adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels. HBO Max’s “House of the Dragon” finished its second season in August. 

Both shows featured actors of color alongside their white castmates in high fantasy worlds,  as dwarves and elves fighting the forces of evil or Lords and Ladies fighting for the Iron Throne. 

Despite their fantasy settings, both faced backlash for divergence from the original source material. 

“The Rings of Power” actors, Ismael Cruz-Córdova and Sophia Nomvete faced adverse reactions after their debut, as some viewers were upset at the creator’s lack of accuracy to the original source material. 

Their experience mirrors that of Steve Toussaint, who portrayed Lord Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon, a white character in George R. R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.” 

“They’re happy with white hair and violet-colored eyes, but a rich Black guy? That’s beyond the pale,” Toussaint said in a 2022 interview with Men’s Health. 

Megan Kirchoff, a 21-year-old fan of “House of the Dragon,” was originally drawn to the show for its writing and argued that the show does not have to be perfectly accurate to its source material to be enjoyable. 

“I think the personality of the character is kind of what matters the most because that’s what makes the story so great,” Kirchoff said. “It’s what kind of impact these characters each had on the storyline.” 

This sentiment was echoed by Craig Rice, the senior film programmer for MSP Film. Rice explained that filmmakers have the right to take liberties with their adaptations and interpret them in their own way. 

“I look at it as all you’re supposed to do as a filmmaker is to honor the story,” Rice said. 

Frederick Valentine, a first-year at the University of Minnesota and longtime fan of “The Lord of the Rings,” shared a similar perspective. Having read Tolkien’s works multiple times, Valentine was excited for a new interpretation of Middle Earth, despite the changes the show had made. 

“I don’t agree with all the opinions and views that he puts forward in his books,” Valentine said. “But they’re still great books, which is the entire reason why they’ve been adapted. You can love something, but, you know, change it up a little bit.” 

According to Valentine, newly introduced characters, like Nomvete’s dwarven character Princess Disa, and the interpretations of familiar characters, have positively modernized Tolkien’s ideas. 

“I’d be so tired if everybody in the entire Rings of Power was white because it doesn’t reflect the world we live in today,” Valentine said. 

Modernizing an author’s work for an on-screen adaptation does not have to be considered an attack against the original work. University professor of cultural studies and comparative literature Charles Kronengold said fans should understand the context in which the books were written in. 

When considering Tolkien’s work, Kronengold acknowledged that the author pulled inspiration from the world he lived in that is no longer the norm. 

“He’s teaching mostly white kids. By and large, all of his colleagues are white,” Kronengold said. “So the fact that in his head he’s casting his book with an all-white cast is kind of an accident of history that we don’t need to be faithful to.” 

While some fans may argue that the changes are inaccurate to the source material and historical influences, the reality is these shows are creations of fantasy. They feature dragons fighting in battles or immortal elves forging rings with the power to bend reality. There is no historical context to point to when arguing about the accuracy of these adaptations.

A line wrapped around the block of the Hollywood Theater on Saturday morning for the second-ever Fat Flea, a flea market focused on body positivity by offering clothing in sizes XL to 6XL.

Minneapolis fashion designers Maxine Britt and Dawn Otwell decided to establish the fat-centric market after realizing the struggle of many fashion-forward customers who were unable to find pieces in their size. 

Britt, a 25-year-old University of Minnesota alumni, grew up designing clothes for their Barbies before pursuing a career in fashion. They signed a studio lease with Otwell two days after meeting each other last August and have been designing together since. 

A year later, they hosted the first Fat Flea.

Growing up in a small northern Michigan town, 42-year-old Otwell grew tired of the clothing options available in her size at her local Kmart. She started shopping in the women’s section at a young age and found many of the options in her size to lack her punk style. 

“I started making my own stuff when I was pretty young, but it was very pieced together,” Otwell said. “And thankfully, safety pins were pretty cool.”

Immediately after the success of their first event in August, Otwell and Britt knew they wanted to host another as soon as possible but on a bigger scale. 

“There were so many people who just were, like, so excited to be in a space where you see so many plus-size people together, where you can feel included and feel respected,” Britt said. 

The two focused on providing a safe space where people of all sizes could shop and find a wide range of products. They said they wanted the vendors to reflect the message of the event, prioritizing plus-size vendors. 

Ruth Baccam, an artist and designer featured at the event, said the market encouraged a level of connection between artist and customer that the digital space lacks. Instead of interacting through a screen, Baccam was able to watch people connect with the art.

Another vendor in a nearby booth, 41-year-old Jenny Behrens, agreed with Baccam and said it was amazing to be in the space and meet customers with similar bodies. 

“Being in a bigger body, size inclusivity is really important to me,” Behrens said. Her jewelry company, Nashipai, offered bold statement pieces with size adaptors and the ability to order custom measurements to ensure the perfect fit. 

The market offered many other trinkets and art for visitors. On the stage, a booth for tarot card readings was next to another offering five-minute portraits, which sat next to a psychic crystal ball reader. Other booths offered stained glass artwork, leatherwork, tooth gems and a small pop-up bookstore. 

Beck Gilbert greeted passing customers from behind the booth for their shop Beck’s Books, the table lined with books by people of color and LBGTQ+ authors as well as stickers and pins. 

“It means so much to see people who you don’t really see in this space,” Gilbert said. The 30-year-old business owner said it was amazing to see so many queer-owned businesses at the event as well.  

Mother and daughter Tess and Audrey DeGeest decided to visit the event together after Audrey DeGeest saw one of the event’s posts on Instagram. She said she had not seen anything like the event before. 

“It’s nice to not feel shamed and instead celebrated,” 56-year-old Tess Degreest said. 

Celebration was at the core of the event, as Otwell and Britt agreed they wanted the space to be a place for celebrating one another instead of worrying about what someone might be thinking. 

“You are you. You are not fat. You are not skinny,” Britt said. “It’s like, that doesn’t define you. They’re descriptors, and they’re not bad or good. They just are.” 

In the future, Britt and Otwell have agreed they want to host smaller events in addition to their two markets for the community to continue to grow in between events, like hosting movie nights or fancy dinner parties. 

“You don’t have to be fat to share in fat joy,” Otwell said. “And I think that is going to be a big aspect of, like, the events in general, is that everybody is welcome.”

Minneapolis restaurant Zhora Darling hosted four punk bands in their backroom venue on Sept. 20 for a night of genre-bending music featuring local artists whenthedustsettles and Ice Climber, as well as touring bands The Rosies and Babe Haven. 

In my mind, a punk concert seemed like the ultimate, overstimulating event. Characterized by their flashing lights, rowdy mosh pits and roaring music, I chose to stay clear of them entirely until Friday. 

I arrived as the openers, whenthedustsettles, warmed up. I met with avid punk fan Olivia Hines, the Minnesota Daily’s campus administration editor and we grabbed an open space next to the stage and prepared for the night. 

Lead vocalist Silver Ouimet screamed the lyrics to their songs and coaxed the concertgoers closer who had drifted from the stage. In between songs, they would crack jokes to the audience. 

After the concert had ended, Ouimet said the night had been a special one for the band as they and another member of the band were Radio K DJs. They regularly played the music of Babe Haven on air before getting booked for the show. 

“Our final song is about exes,” Ouimet said. “Crazy concept, I know.”

They were met with laughs as the heavy drums set a head-banging tempo. The crowd of about 15 people created a more intimate atmosphere, allowing the audience to interact with the performers while listening. The band finished their set to cheers and whoops from the now enthusiastic crowd. 

The next band was Ice Climber, an acid-rock band that pulled inspiration from every genre when making their music. Xochi de la Luna, 33-year-old vocalist and manager of the band, described the music as “a big melting pot” of metal, jazz, drone and rock. 

Their performance was a hybrid set, combining original music with improvised songs. Their final song was called “Little Secret,” where de la Luna encouraged audience members to share secrets into a microphone. She would then weave them into the final song. 

I had never witnessed crowd interaction like this in a concert. The secrets ranged from light-hearted to extremely vulnerable. 

“The music had a very meditative and healing quality to it,” de la Luna said. “Even if the lyrics were depressing, sometimes you need to let out that darkness, right?” 

Swearing profusely, de la Luna finished the set by hyping the crowd up for the remaining bands, which had grown to about 30 people. 

Described as “Lake Erie surf punk,” The Rosies offered a taste of 2000s garage rock for the night, starting the mosh pit portion of the night. 

Speaking to them prior to the performance, bassist and backing vocalist Sal Corrao offered advice for new punk enthusiasts. 

“First thing, have fun. If it looks like fun, it is fun,” Corrao said. “And I think the biggest thing is, if you’re not sure, just stand back. Everyone’s there for the same thing, to see a cool show and be with like-minded people.” 

This sentiment was echoed by de la Luna, who said, “Go for the music. And the more you go, the more you’ll make friends.” 

“There will be people who are looking for people who seem a little nervous or scared,” she said.

Some drinks were spilled and a single yellow Bic lighter was left in the wake, but I made it through the energetic moshing unscathed thanks to the protective woman I was standing next to, who redirected numerous moshing concertgoers away from us while I took notes.

The night ended with the headliners Babe Haven taking the stage, each carrying a mug of tea. The ballerina-like movements of lead singer Lillie Della Penna contrasted the heavy punk rock songs they performed. 

But when the songs ended, the joking atmosphere would return. Julia Lynn, the bassist, asked at one point if they could pause the show so she could use the bathroom. The crowd giggled as she ran through us, as her bandmates cracked jokes. 

“When you gotta go, you gotta go,” Penna said. 

Babe Haven ended the show with a performance of their song “Lauren,” and Penna joined the crowd to dance before saying goodbye and thanking the crowd and the other performers. 

I ended the night with the understanding that punk can have many different meanings. It can be ballet flats or Doc Martens; it can be screaming lyrics or whispered secrets. Leaving the venue with ringing ears, I was excited for my next punk show.