League Of Extraordinary Women

With its 4th annual show, the Sheezer Halloween party has become something of a tradition in Toronto. They've also taken the opportunity to make it a bit a "women of rock" night with female acts. So it was off to Lee's Palace on Thursday to see the 2013 edition.

Unfinished Business was a teen punk-pop band comprising of 3 young girls ages 13-14. Dressed as the Misfits, they proceeded to rip through quick 2-minute songs with equally brief titles like Summer, Superpowers, Rockstar, and Ghosts. Their zealous handler (a proud papa?) augmented their show with bubble machine and confetti gun. They weren't quite as adept as last year's Pins & Needles, but they're on their way. Unfortunately after their set, they were quickly hustled out of the bar by a bouncer.

Patti Cake combines 60s do-wop with a 90s riot grrl aesthetic. Tonight, they came out as The Muppet Band complete with Dr. Teeth, Rolf, and Animal. Kritti was of course Miss Piggy. Accompanied by 2 female backup singers and her own sassy attitude and big voice, she led the surprisingly dance-ready crowd through catchy originals including Lindsay Lohan, Diamonds, and Nobody Loves Me. They mostly embraced the sunny 60s vibe though lyrically, they were more acerbic. For 90s nostalgia, Patti Cake covered 1979 (Smashing Pumpkin) and Sunday Morning (No Doubt) to the crowd's delight.

Weezer's songs from Blue and Pinkerton have problematic misogynist elements so they are improved by being reclaimed by all-female Sheezer. But tonight, the women were even more kick-ass in their superhero costumes: Wonder Woman (Alysha), Phoenix (Laura), She-Ra (Robin), and She-Hulk (Dana). Sheezer led the singing, jumping, moshing, dancing, and grinning crowd through numbers such as Surf Wax USA, Buddy Holly, and Undone (The "Sweater Song" joined by Urkel, a beauty contestant, and the Statue of Liberty). Though they claim to only play from the first two albums, they have been adding other songs to their repertoire. Tonight, they pulled out Susanne (which got about 1/3 of the audience mildly puzzled) and Hash Pipe (which got a big roar). They ended their encore with The Good Life and everybody left soaking wet and happy.