Concert Review
The Wanton Looks
May 13, 2011 @ The Mutiny
Zo
The Wanton Looks
May 13, 2011 @ The Mutiny
Zo
By Dave Miller
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A group celebrating two birthdays with a gig at a dive bar as the final act on a four-band bill spells trouble. By the time it hit the stage well past midnight, its members had plenty of time to drink.
X
Such was the case with The Wanton Looks, who celebrated the birthdays of lead singer Traci Trouble and guitarist Susie Q with a show Friday night at The Mutiny. Trouble can, and usually does, live up to her name at any show, but it was apparent immediately that her night had started long ago. As she slurred her way through the opening numbers, I prepared to give the band a mulligan. It’s been great in every one of the shows I’ve seen it play in the last year, but this didn’t look like it would be one of them.
X
Then the band began “Demons” and there was Trouble jumping up and down with her bass and a smile wide enough to light up the dingy joint. As Trouble played, Susie Q struck guitar poses in a zone of her own, drummer Meg Thomas rolled beats in rapid succession and Inga Olson slashed notes off her guitar with a seriousness that belied her youthful look. In the blink of an eye, the staggering band managed to find rock nirvana no matter how much celebrating at least some of its members did beforehand.
X
A couple songs later, Trouble introduced “86 Me” by saying how she almost got bounced from the dive. “You can get thrown out of The Mutiny?” Olson wondered incredulously. The band dove headfirst into the song, and moshing broke out in front of the low stage with a punker sporting impossibly long hair spikes in the middle of the mayhem. Moshers knocked a couple mic stands to the ground. The song ended with Trouble, Susie Q, and Olson huddled in front of Thomas’ kit stationed on a small riser in the right corner like they were a gang pledging, “All for one and one for all.”
X
Susie Q celebrated her birthday with unusually feisty playing and attitude. “That’s bullshit,” she barked after “Worst Side of Me.” “Turn my mic up!” Trouble introduced a new song, “Cut Off.” “It’s about me being fired from my job,” she said. During the song, some brazen concertgoers jumped onstage to dance. The band didn’t bat an eye. As it closed its set with “See You Again,” Trouble said, “We’re sorry if we got too drunk. I hope you had fun.”
X
The Wanton Looks warrant prime slots in better venues, but this should be the calm before the storm. Their first album is coming out soon and that should create buzz about the band. It’ll be time for more people to discover them and for them to take their shot at success seriously. They could wind up having plenty of time and cause to celebrate afterward.
X
The setlist:
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Get Thru to You
Forget You
Neverending
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Demons
All I Want is You
86 Me
Worst Side of Me
Cut Off
All Your Fault
Electromagnetic Force
Come On
I Wanna See You Again
X
Start: 12:42 a.m./Finish: 1:38 a.m.
Totals: 13 songs, 56 minutes
past reviews
X
By Dave Miller
X
A group celebrating two birthdays with a gig at a dive bar as the final act on a four-band bill spells trouble. By the time it hit the stage well past midnight, its members had plenty of time to drink.
X
Such was the case with The Wanton Looks, who celebrated the birthdays of lead singer Traci Trouble and guitarist Susie Q with a show Friday night at The Mutiny. Trouble can, and usually does, live up to her name at any show, but it was apparent immediately that her night had started long ago. As she slurred her way through the opening numbers, I prepared to give the band a mulligan. It’s been great in every one of the shows I’ve seen it play in the last year, but this didn’t look like it would be one of them.
X
Then the band began “Demons” and there was Trouble jumping up and down with her bass and a smile wide enough to light up the dingy joint. As Trouble played, Susie Q struck guitar poses in a zone of her own, drummer Meg Thomas rolled beats in rapid succession and Inga Olson slashed notes off her guitar with a seriousness that belied her youthful look. In the blink of an eye, the staggering band managed to find rock nirvana no matter how much celebrating at least some of its members did beforehand.
X
A couple songs later, Trouble introduced “86 Me” by saying how she almost got bounced from the dive. “You can get thrown out of The Mutiny?” Olson wondered incredulously. The band dove headfirst into the song, and moshing broke out in front of the low stage with a punker sporting impossibly long hair spikes in the middle of the mayhem. Moshers knocked a couple mic stands to the ground. The song ended with Trouble, Susie Q, and Olson huddled in front of Thomas’ kit stationed on a small riser in the right corner like they were a gang pledging, “All for one and one for all.”
X
Susie Q celebrated her birthday with unusually feisty playing and attitude. “That’s bullshit,” she barked after “Worst Side of Me.” “Turn my mic up!” Trouble introduced a new song, “Cut Off.” “It’s about me being fired from my job,” she said. During the song, some brazen concertgoers jumped onstage to dance. The band didn’t bat an eye. As it closed its set with “See You Again,” Trouble said, “We’re sorry if we got too drunk. I hope you had fun.”
X
The Wanton Looks warrant prime slots in better venues, but this should be the calm before the storm. Their first album is coming out soon and that should create buzz about the band. It’ll be time for more people to discover them and for them to take their shot at success seriously. They could wind up having plenty of time and cause to celebrate afterward.
X
The setlist:
X
Get Thru to You
Forget You
Neverending
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Demons
All I Want is You
86 Me
Worst Side of Me
Cut Off
All Your Fault
Electromagnetic Force
Come On
I Wanna See You Again
X
Start: 12:42 a.m./Finish: 1:38 a.m.
Totals: 13 songs, 56 minutes