I'm nearing the last leg of this 100 gig odyssey, and as you know I've been lucky enough to witness quite a few totally radical shows. A few have even been downright stellar. Number sixty seven was rather special, even compared with the other special ones, my little lambs. Not only was I once more in the presence of my esteemed partner in blogging, but also in the presence of not one, not even two, but three killer bands. Oh yes. I said three. Atlanta types Gentleman Jesse & His Men, Texans The Strange Boys, and the totally girlcrush-worthy Nashvillians Those Darlins (and their token dudes, of course, who are also crush-worthy). This show was so splendiforous, so dang rockin', that not even the totally weird, awkward vibe in the crowd (and it was decidedly weird) could ruin the amount of severely fierce rock that those ladies and gents put out. It took me days to recover, frankly. I was rocked out.MINI RECAP: Gentleman Jesse & His Men = Yabba! The Strange Boys = Dabba! Those Darlins = Do! Overall Score: A
I missed, sadly, virtually all of the set belonging to Gentleman Jesse & His Men. However, the scant few songs I saw served as a hint of the sheer balls-out, sexy rock that these young men can put forth. I'd liken them to Rick Springfield (think "Jesse's Girl" but actually cool), with a big, catchy sound and plenty of cheekiness. Further investigation is definitely needed, but I was well impressed with what I witnessed.
The Strange Boys followed, and it was during their set that the weirdness in the club began in earnest. There was a little bit of a disconnect between the crowd and the bands, though with The Strange Boys it extended to the staff, too, as they were ignored after requesting more lights so they could see the crowd's purty faces. Lighting aside, my (impatient) wait to see the band was rewarded with a delicious dose of retro-fitted rock and roll purity. The shambolic edge was present in spades, but so too was the polish that sets The Strange Boys apart from plenty of other soundalikes. I'm still counting my lucky stars to have heard my beloved "Night Might" and "Poem Party", along with "Nights In Paris", "Be Brave", and a heaping helping of other goodies. Their remarkable nonchalance about playing wowed me, as I've said before it's like they don't even try, and yet they are so very, very good at what they do. It's effortless, but with a little sneer. They shimmied and shook and rocked and rolled and by the time they were done, I loved them more than ever.
And then, to top it all off, came Those Darlins. These little ladies have beguiled the both of us here at LET, and having never seen them live before I was beyond excited. And these hot mamas most certainly did not disappoint. Oh no. I mean, any band that literally has the lights turned on to get them off the stage is impossible not to love, right? These gals were intent on causing a ruckus, and they did their due diligence. The set was soaked in sex and booze and rabble-rousing, and lordy me it was sensational. Their rocky twang was in fine form, pitting their trio of come-hither vocals with down and dirty rock, filthy hints of the blues, and a bit of Nashville for good measure. "Wild One" was the highlight of a thoroughly bitchin' set for me, being as it is one of my favorite songs these days. And hell, just cuz they're sweet don't mean they're always nice, you know. Even if they did bring Nikki's mom up onstage for a little tambourine playing. These girls are definitely whisky rock-a-rollers, to quoth my dear Skynyrd, and they rock harder than most bands around. Can't say enough good things about 'em.
I'll keep it brief. Go see these bands. End of story. Oh, and you're welcome.
mp3: Who's That Knockin At My Window (Daytrotter) (Those Darlins from Those Darlins)
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