Death Valley Girls At Vacation Vinyl, Friday October 2nd 2015 Review
Death Valley Girls
I have seen Death Valley Girls a few times at festivals such as Lollipalooza, and I immediately fell in love with their bold and dark sound, these girls rocked the place each time in a very cathartic kind of way.
The five-piece band was throwing a release party celebration at Vacation Vinyl for their new 7″ ‘Death Valley Boogie’, and this of course included an in-store performance. They have a sort of vintage sound, bringing an immense fuzziness in the small store, combined with a sweet psychedelia coated with their delicious female voices, high pitched and feisty at the same time.
Death Valley Girls are four girls and a guy who play some badass grooves, and honestly it is very hard to resist to their ferocious bluesy psychedelia, full of rawness, gritty guitars and swagger, the fun part is that they sound totally rebellious with girlie voices and I remember throwing big names, such as Led Zeppelin, Sleater Kinney and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in one of my reviews, which shows what strong impression they had made when I saw them play live for the first time.
Fronted by Bonnie Bloomgarden, who sounds a bit like Corin Tucker, they brought some real action at Vacation Vinyl, playing in the dark because they have a dark psychedelic sound, but at the same time a very joyously riotous sound, with some power that can blow your head off and female vocals that could often be women chants on a warpath. But in this almost all-female band, there is Larry Schemel, who was playing a fuzzy guitar, often adventured in post-punk doom-boogie territories. Of course I should add that Larry is Patty’s brother, and the Hole’s drummer is helping the band and was even present during the show.
They built a big sound, thunderous and filled with a rebellion recalling the Riot grrrl old days, although Death Valley Girls rather want to remind us about a specific place and time, Los Angeles in the 70’s, with its mythology of crazy characters from Charles Manson and the family, to Kenneth Anger and the occult or Kim Fowley and his Runaways, yes that kind of pivoting time in history. But it’s not about nostalgia, it’s about pumped-up energy till the sweat runs down your face and your back in the most epic way… They have releases on Burger records, Lolipop records, and their new single’ Death Valley Boogie’ is on April77, which ‘creates clothing inspired by youth movements and modern history’.. Death Valley Girls are a must see live and it’s certain they want to be part of this modern history.
