Caravan Palace – First Avenue – Minneapolis MN – April 3rd 2025

CARAVAN PALACE – FIRST AVENUE – MINNEAPOLIS MN – APRIL 3 2025

Review and photos by Legion Ratfell

Caravan Palace was an absolute blast last night at First Avenue. I’ve been listening to them since the early 2000s, and it’s hard to pass up any international band when they manage to come through here, so I was so happy I got to attend. 

Opening for the night was ZAYKA, who also played trombone in Caravan Palace. He brought some lovely DJ-ing with live trombone to get the crowd amped up, and he was really great. It was bumpy EDM and though its difficult to bring a performance aspect when it’s just one person, he brought a wonderful energy which wasn’t surprising considering he performs with Caravan Palace. 

I was hoping for exactly what I got with Caravan Palace. If you’re not familiar, the easiest way I can describe them is electro swing. They incorporate all sorts of genres, but the general vibe is an energetic swing band with dance/electronic beats, and it’s absolutely excellent. With 6 people all over the stage playing various instruments and backing vocals, and Zoé Colotis leading the charge with a singular poise and cheekiness, it was the most energetic I’ve been on a Thursday night in a while. 

The entire place was bopping, all the way to the back. When photographing I saw the first rows jumping and screaming and waving their arms, and when I walked around the back, the more spacious areas were filled with people dancing around. The music is just so infectious; I don’t know how you could listen to it and not bop even a little bit. There were people in cosplay, steampunk, classic 20s swing dresses, metal jackets; the demographic was all over the place. There was something unifying about them, and it was amazing to witness. I ended up joining a dance circle behind a pillar towards the end; it didn’t seem to matter to people if they could see or not, the beats made it a good time no matter what. 

It’s always satisfying to watch and hear musicians who are just really good at what they do, and jazz/funk musicians always impress me. Getting to hear “Lone Digger” live was something I didn’t know I needed, and I’m so happy I got to. 

Caravan Palace’s newest album Gangbusters Melody Club is streaming everywhere now, and they released a new music video for the song “City Cook” a few weeks ago.