LOCAL CONCERT REVIEW
By Colin Cross
The Dames, Cigarette, The Randies, The Eyeliners at
The Clubhouse
It was a night of rockin' girls at The Clubhouse on December
7th, as a lineup of four female-fronted bands took the stage.
Kicking things off right were Valley favorites, The Dames,
with their heavy punk tunes and tough attitudes. The Dames
have been covered at great length in the pages of this
magazine already, so I won't repeat ourselves here other
than to say that if you haven't seen them (or at least bought
their CD), you're missing one of the staples of our scene.
Cigarette, a rock group from Los Angeles, was next to perform. Strutting across the stage like a bourgeois Debbie Harry, lead singer Heather crooned largely uninspired alternative rock lyrics, backed by drummer Spencer and guitarist Nate. This is not to say that their music was poor, merely that it was the sort of thing you might expect from your typical pop-punk offering with a female vocalist. Think Bif Naked without the edge and you're pretty much on the right track. Their most impressive performance came after the set was already over. While the next band was setting up to play, Heather went through the entire crowd and personally thanked each and every person for coming out to the show. Want to build a fan base? Cigarette does, and they're going to be successful by taking the time to make these personal connections with their audience. Take heed, locals.
The Randies, also out of Los Angeles, win the award for the people who looked like they were having the most fun on stage. Between their infectious, high-energy rock riffs and the harmonized vocals, these girls have a very tight live set deserving of a much larger audience than the modest group who came out that night. After you finish reading this magazine, run to the nearest computer and check out their myspace account for a taste of the next indie pop rock album you should invest in. As I write this, I'm listening to it for about the fifth time consecutively.
Bringing the night to a head with the fury of an erupting volcano were The Eyeliners. They've been making quite a bit of noise in the punk scene for a number of years now through their Stiff Little Fingers-inspired sound. While their most recent release, No Apologies (fittingly on Joan Jett's Blackheart Records label), is a demonstration of what experienced but largely underground musicians are capable of when given the assets necessary to mature, their live performance is like liquid sex. Laura, drummer and lead singer, is positively electric now that she's separated herself from the drum kit and given the freedom to really show what she's capable of as a performer. Meanwhile, her sisters Gel and Lisa (guitar and bass, respectively) provided all the support she could ever need. Do not miss the opportunity to get into this group before they become insanely popular.
Check these bands out at the following websites:
The Dames: www.thedames.com
Cigarette: www.myspace.com/cigarette
The Randies: www.myspace.com/therandies
The Eyeliners: www.theeyeliners.com
CONCERT REVIEWS:
JUNE 2005:
SEPTEMBER 2004:
- none
AUGUST 2004:
- Ska-Rockabilly-a-go..
JULY 2004:
- Autumn's End
- Selfless & Sixstitch ..
- United Dead Artists ..
JUNE 2004:
- Rock Naughty
- Nexus & Radio Fix ..
- Slaves for Scores & ..
- Smut Muffin & The I..
- Stasis Break & Mak..
MAY 2004:
- Awaken & Jason So..
- Bad Shoe Review
- Fashion Music & Ot ..
- Keddah & Ethnic De..
- Spaz Kitty
APRIL 2004:
- Greeley Estates & St..
- Zara & Rising Convi..
MARCH 2004:
- Helliphino & Selfless
- LeSept
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