Girls, Girls, Girls

Phoenix Concert Theatre was host to 2 bands with 'Girls' in their name. But before I got in the door, there was a small scene at the front. Some underage girls bought tickets, thinking or were informed that this was an all-ages concert. But apparently it was not and the large bouncer wouldn't let them in. That's gotta ruin your week-end though the consolation is that the ticket was only about $17.

First up, the Dum Dum Girls. A 4 member, all girls band whose sound is a mix of 60s pop harmony with a grungier guitar sound. What happens if Michael J. Fox brought back a tape of the Ramones for Lesley Gore, I suppose. Being physically attractive, think goth all black (Lydia from Beetlejuice?) meets Nancy Sinatra, they drew more than the usual number of guys around the stage area. They have a nice sound, if a little bit technically unsophisticated. The bass singer, Jane Fonda as Barberella, seems bored with her simple bass lines. The lead guitarist did the usual (slight) head banging. However, the lead singer and guitarist had a Chuck Berry duck-walk head bopping thing going but side to side.

The headliner was Girls. A 5 member, all boys band whose sound is 60s Beach Boys harmony with a more modern crunchy and raw sound. The leader singer, Christopher Owens, sounds a bit like Elvis Costello. They sound really good and had a nice vibe. Technically, they were much tighter and more professional than the Dum Dum Girls. From their videos, it looks like they either live, or espouse, the hipster lifestyle. But that's all good, I'm not a hipster hater. If I was young and skinny, hanging out and doing artistic things, and dating young, skinny women, I'd think my life was pretty cool, too.

It's interesting how these two groups can take an old sound and make it sound new and not derivative, unlike this show I saw at the Garrison.