Armed and Flangerous?

Sunday night, I dropped by Lee's Palace for a night of female-fronted bands. First up was local punk-pop outfit BB Guns. They were the most energized of the 3 groups. Songs such as Bang and (She Thinks She's So) Soho were fast and furious, with multi-part harmony and crunchy guitar. There were also lots of bopping around, except for the keyboard player, who was probably 8-months pregnant.

Ex Cops of Brooklyn promised a melding of noise with 90s pop. But they had trouble with their synth. So it was down to a guitar, some drums, and the harmony of Amalie Bruun and Brian Harding. But it was a let-down: an abbreviated set played mostly in the dark. For whatever strange reasons, the house lights were dimmed for this middle set. Without the pop layering of their recording, and not much to look at, the crowd responded with tepid applause.

Dum Dum Girls have definitely gone more pop than surf-punk since I saw them a few years ago. In tight dresses and exhibiting cool mien for the most part, this girl group was a match for their mid-tempo music (Bedroom Eyes, Lost Boys and Girls Club). Lead singer Dee Dee Penny channeled the aloof women of Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistable even at her most plaintive. Their sweet harmony (much more prominent live) elevated songs such as Coming Down. They did reach back in their catalogue for punkier I Got Nothing and He Gets Me High as well as a soft cover of Strawberry Switchblade's Trees and Flowers. Overall, it was an odd vibe for the night. The fans obviously loved the music, and even danced now and then, but there was a distance between the band and the crowd. Even if one pony-tailed dude ascended to heaven after Penny sang directly to him for a few lines, their set felt detached.