Ian and Jane are TWEN, pronounced “tuh-when”. The origin of the name is a German magazine, whose translation describes people in their twenties. TWEN’s backstory? They supposedly live in their tour bus-turned-mobile home. I haven’t visited, so I guess I can’t be sure. They also have an independent label, Twenterprises, of which their most recent LP, Fate Euphoric, was produced under. TWEN’s tour does not stop at our modest midwest city, who is proudly a few short of half a million people. Rather, TWEN continues on tour through May in the great midwest cities of Milwaukee and Madison, treks to Seattle, visits Portland, and terminates finally in the great state of Nevada. 

To describe the experience of being at the inaugural TWEN show at the Seventh Street Entry is an undertaking that frankly, at 11pm after the show, is a bit daunting. Yet here I’ll go trying. 

Imagine this: You circle around seventh street, first avenue, and the great Target Center for what feels like twenty minutes, trying to score an open place to park.  You walk into the modest and homey entryway of Seventh Street, accompanied by a dear friend and fellow self-taught music critic. Is there really any formal training in this variety? You stand towards the back and begin to ask questions, like, “Don’t you wish we could be sitting down for this?” which inevitably will be answered “Yes”. Next, we’re mulling around as the nondescript audience chatters. The other Sunday night owls trickle into the crowd, pulling mighty numbers and packing both levels of the two-tiered venue. You find a spot close to the stage left speaker and  get to chatting, of course. Then, who joins the stage but the two-piecer, Monsoon. Monsoon joined TWEN on the fine Sunday night that is March 22nd. Or was. Hailing from the almost Greek city-state of Athens (Georgia), Monsoon is clad fully in black and navy. Sienna and Joey are Monsoon, a band named for the weather pattern brought on by shifting winds, characterized by its moisture in the summertime. Like a true monsoon, our duo heralded in the winds of Springtime, coming tastefully after a brief summer day in March that was too soon forgotten. We heard from their record Ghost Party, an album that spent five years in the making. Monsoon elicits a taste of surf rock, indie inspiration, and self-proclaimed local punk (the best flavor, in my opinion). How gourmonde! Monsoon claims residence in Tony, a Honda Odyssey turned mobile home. I sense a theme here. At this point, I’ll run some stats on the show: 

Energy onstage: 90%

Lighting: 90%

Number of people in line for the bar: 1-3

Number of people outside smoking cigarettes: 1

Number of people inside, vaping: 2

Volume of music: 14

Percent of audience wearing glasses: 55%

I’ll continue now, with long-form brevity and dwindling logic and narration. Monsoon brought us authoritative vocals, emotive drumming, and thrashing energy that resounded through the crowd. Monsoon charged up the high-voltage audience and inevitably left us wanting more. 

TWEN appears. TWEN delivers a set chock full of energy, encouraging vocalizing, physicality, and sensational dancing. While the group abides by the classic rules of rock, TWEN struts its musical repertoire and ventures into the territory of Country, transcends time by sampling basslines from the 70s, and indulges in whole-hearted indie goodness. TWEN flaunts its well practiced concision and performs with a welcoming and impressive cohort of songs, including fan favorites “SeaStar”, “HaHaHome”, and my personal favorite, “Bore U”. While a great portion of the night echoes from the 2022 album “One Stop Shop”, we excitedly heard many hits from their 2025 album “Fate Euphoric”. An impressive feat by TWEN was accomplished early in the show, inviting the crowd to join onstage for a dance party. Otherwise, we were treated to a constant onslaught of high-fiving and the joys of physicality. Those good, old-fashioned harbingers of communal celebration in music, a tenant of the 1970s, reverberated from the group whose fashion came from that same decade. 

The night concludes. We find our way back to the car. Frankie thinks the show was quite good, and makes only the request for a lyric list or closed captioning, which I agree with wholeheartedly. My recommendation: do yourself a favor and treat your ears to a Monsoon milkshake with a tantalizing TWEN topping. 

Show Review: Elizabeth Wash