Cat Clyde – Turf Club, St. Paul
If Boy Golden set the tone for the night, Cat Clyde took it somewhere else entirely.
She is mesmerizing.
From the moment she stepped on stage at Turf Club, there was an immediate pull. Part of it is her voice, which moves effortlessly from a soft, melancholic tone to something fuller and more energetic. Part of it is her presence. And part of it is that smile, which draws you in and holds your attention.
The set moved fluidly between moods. Some songs leaned inward, quiet and reflective, while others opened up with a brighter, more driving energy. The crowd followed every shift, completely locked in.
There was also a bit of real-world chaos mixed in.
During one of the collaborations with Boy Golden, he used her guitar, and when it came back, it did not want to cooperate. Watching her wrestle it back into tune was a moment every live musician can relate to. You got the sense she might think twice before handing it off again.
Out in the crowd, the energy matched what was happening on stage. At one point I thought I might get knocked over by two women dancing near me, fully lost in the music. That kind of night.
And as much as I love the vibe of Turf Club, it continues to be a tough room for photography. The middle of the stage is over lit while the edges of the stage are deep in shadow. And the colored lighting doesn’t do any favors either. The audience is there for the music, not the photos, but from a photography standpoint it’s a challenge. Trying to pull natural tones out of that lighting while keeping images clean is not easy. The result can lean grainy and pixelated, something I work hard to avoid, but Turf Club was not exactly forgiving.
In the end, Cat’s songs feel lived in and personal without ever feeling distant. There’s a warmth to them, even when they drift into heavier themes. It is music that invites you in.
It was clear this was more than just a strong performance. It was the kind of show that stays with you, and judging by the crowd, she is building something real.