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The Current presents An Evening With Violent Femmes
Sunday, May 12
6:30 pm
Palace Theatre
17 7th Place West Saint Paul, 55102
An Evening with Violent Femmes
The Current presents An Evening with Violent Femmes at Palace Theatre on May 12, 2024.
How to receive presale information
A presale is scheduled for Thursday, March 4, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (the public on-sale opens Friday at 10 a.m.). Subscribe to Cross Currents — The Current’s weekly newsletter — by midnight March 13, to receive details about this week’s presale for The Violent Femmes.
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The Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes formed in 1981 as an acoustic punk band playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their main influences at that time were Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and The Velvet Underground. Their goal was to rock harder than any other acoustic act on the planet.
After being rejected for an audition by a local nightclub, the Femmes set up outside a Pretenders gig and began to play. Pretenders’ lead singer Chrissie Hynde asked them to open that night’s show, which gave the young band a publicity boost and caught the attention of Richard Hell, who invited the Femmes to open for him in NYC. A rave review in the New York Times eventually led to a record deal, which in turn spawned worldwide touring.
Violent Femmes eponymous debut album became the first and only album in Billboard history to enter the charts with a platinum certification- eight years after its release. Over the ensuing three decades, the Femmes became a mainstay of festivals, clubs, and theaters in more than 20 countries worldwide.
MTV’s Unplugged show was inspired by the Femmes, although they never actually appeared on it. Their raw sound and honest lyrical perspective has been cited as an influence by artists as diverse as Pink, Keith Urban, The Smiths, The Pixies, John Cusack, Mark Morris, and Wim Wenders.
More than 40 years into their careers, Violent Femmes continue to attract young audiences on tour, create lasting music, and inspire people of all ages.