On Oct. 18, Flying V Music had a Halloween cover lineup with five bands: Benjalvin, Javelin, xSERAPHx, Rakuyo and Out4Blood. With music ranging from Party Rock to Heavy Metal, movement was all around throughout Flying V’s last lineup in northeast Minneapolis before moving to Robbinsdale, MN.
Flying V Music was founded in 2024 as a nonprofit for Twin Cities youth to organize and build community. The emotionally charged music and statements from bands and even Jen “Ms. V” VanRiper brought solace to the end of Flying V’s first of many chapters. Flying V is a straight-edge (sXe) DIY venue. Straight edge is a subculture and lifestyle that is associated with hardcore punk, in which you abstain from drugs, alcohol and tobacco. This makes the environment much more natural and level-headed, allowing people of all ages to feel welcomed and safe in an environment where people are sober. Flying V is a queer safe space (as you’d expect from a hardcore venue). All these qualities make it a great space to enjoy music as a young person and express yourself freely without the worry of being judged, allowing you to come out of your shell.
The show opens with Benjalvin as LMFAO, playing hits like “Sorry for Party Rocking” and “Party Rock Anthem.” Benjalvin had a lively crowd, but compared to the rest of the night, it was the tamest. The performance by Benjalvin was entertaining and boosted the mood and morale, ready for the night. Theatrics were heavy with this set; they pulled out a few sparkling juice bottles, and silliness bumps the enjoyment a lot more.
LMFAO: ★★★☆☆
After around a fifteen-minute break for the next band to set up, set two is Javelin as Crowbar. Crowbar is an American Groove Metal band that has been active since 1991. The sound is similar to the slow brooding of Doom metal with the intensity of Hardcore punk. Javelin came up on stage wearing construction costumes with a hi-vis vest and hard hat, giving a stage presence that fits the hardcore metal vibe. Crowd inclusion was pretty high, with many opening a mosh pit and hardcore moshing; it was lively, and the music was amazing. Solid set overall.
Crowbar: ★★★☆☆
xSERAPHx covers 7 Angels 7 Plagues (7A7P) for set three, absolutely my favorite set with the emotion and energy circulating the space. xSERAPHx gave a speech on how much they love the venue and how much of a bittersweet change it is to be moving away from their “home venue” (a venue that a band frequents and calls their “home”). However, it is exciting to know their home is upgrading. 7A7P was a Wisconsin metalcore band that, unfortunately, had a short lifespan. 7A7P has a hyper-melodic groove with inspirations from jazz, yet there’s a volatile sound, making it perfect to mosh and vibe out to. xSERAPHx had a great stage presence, moshing was there and aggressive (in a good way) and crowd involvement was still climbing.
xSERAPHx: ★★★★☆
Before set four, Ms. V had a speech about how grateful she is to be influenced by her students to start a nonprofit venue to bring Twin-Cities youth instruments and resources to play music and express their creativity, feelings and allow youth to build community. Ms. V said the new location will be moving to Robbinsdale, Minn. After Ms. V’s speech, Rakuyo covers System of a Down. Stage presence was absolutely amazing, crowd inclusion at its peak. Rakuyo opens up two mosh pits. Rakuyo plays hits like “Chop Suey!,” “Prison Song” and “War?” It was a very enjoyable set.
Rakuyo: ★★★★☆
Out4Blood closes the show with a Linkin Park cover set. Unfortunately, people did start leaving the venue, and the crowd started to shrink; nevertheless, people who stayed were moshing even harder and maintained the energy. Out4Blood started their set with a costume contest, with the winner earning free merch. This definitely set the stage for their set with crowd inclusion and how they’re focused on providing an entertaining and crowd-focused set.
Out4Blood: ★★★☆☆
Flying V Music will be holding its next show Nov. 7 at 4130 Lakeview Ave N, Robbinsdale, MN
