Rock and Rule

Though it seems as if I've made a home of the Horseshoe Tavern lately, I still went back Saturday night for indie rock night. The first band may be indie but it'd be a stretch to call them rock. I saw Christien Summers last year at Sneaky Dee's and wasn't enamoured with their 80s Madonna sound. But I've been won over by other bands mining the 80s such as Rouge and Triple Gangers. So let's give them another try.

I'm still not feeling it for this band. The other bands bring something modern and fun to their songs. Christien, both lyrically and musically, is straight from the past. Their music sounds derivative after a few songs. The lead singer also needs to develop stronger stage presence; she didn't seem to know what to do with her hands and feet.

Stage presence is not something that Jacquie, lead singer and guitarist of the Balconies, lacks. I've seen other energetic shows they've put on, but they tore up the stage tonight. The drummer took off his shirt to keep pounding on the drums and the bassist hammered out sexy bass notes (evidenced by all the female hips that started swiveling). As for Jacquie, she kept flicking those jangling notes and power chords and constantly dancing. But tonight, she added wild head twirls, flinging her hair in all directions. There was also some suggestive hip gyrations accompanying her guitar playing.

The crowd ate up all that great music, cheering every song. The set ended with Serious Bedtime, a clap-along sing-along number with the catchy chorus "If you do it in the dark, in the dark, no one sees it." Cries for an encore had to be ignored since they had to clear out for the last act.

I didn't stay for Nightbox, though I've seen their brand of electronica-rock before. I had to get home to get my old man's rest. Also, I didn't think they could have topped that great set by the Balconies. The Shoe was filling up with people on the make as I made my way out.