Five Sentence Review: GIRLS live at Empty Bottle 11/13/09
GIRLS took the stage at the Empty Bottle last Friday night at about midnight and played a slow, sprawling, loud, emotional and generally misunderstood set that really moved me and changed me and left me wondering why I have been ignoring my guitar and lyrics sheets.
Openers Smith Westerns from Chicago were largely panned by the crowd, which thinned notably before their set concluded, but I quite liked their style of treble heavy, reverb-soaked, tinny, androgynous rock. GIRLS lead singer Christopher Owens occasionally sounds like Elvis Costello and Jarvis Cocker and always looks like Keanu Reeves circa Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, but it is clear that he has a raw, emotional outpouring of his inner feelings as he slowly and deliberately begins standout tracks such as Hellhole Ratrace, Lauren Marie and the showstopping explosion that was Summertime. I think that many of the crowd showed up to hear the college radio and blog hit, Lust for Life, which the band chose to close the show with, but other tracks such Summertime and Hellhole Ratrace really played better on this small stage; all cleverly played on Owens' twangy and trebley Rickenbacker guitar, which he rarely removed and did not tune throughout the set. I suppose it is worth noting that this show was on Friday the 13th, or that Owens grew up in some type of cult, or that the band's lead guitar player recently departed the band and a new guy stood in pretty effectively, but I think that would cheapen the unique and memorable impact this band and this singer and this night had upon me. Photos:The door outside the Empty Bottle
Smith Westerns
GIRLS lead singer Christopher Owens in pink
A photogenic dumptruck outside the show
I don't actually enjoy PBR, so.
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