Who's The Boss?

Thursday night, I went early to Smiling Buddha for some live music. But maybe I should have been fashionably late because opener The Walls Are Blonde was an acquired taste. They started with a quavery rendition of Dancing Queen. I could handle a little faux-irony if not overdone. But then came the odd costume change, shouty exhortations, and other "arty" gestures and I just zoned out. To be fair, some members of the audience got into the DIY aesthetics.

Triple Gangers were more my cup of tea: 3-part harmonies backed synth beats and chords. Now and then, their songs got a bit skittering. But overall, there was a 80s vibe to their set. The crowd was growing and there were even a few who got into the dance groove.

Everybody was here for Bossie, Anne Douris' (Stella Ella Ola, Hollerado) solo effort as a glam-pop singer. Though the venue wasn't packed, the entire crowd was pushed right up against the stage. It's strange how buzz happens. So for a first show, Bossie had a large eager audience that some other bands may be unable to build even after several years. In any case, they took advantage by decorating the stage with tinsel, projections, and even a fog machine. Douris herself came out in a black velvet top, tight black shorts, purple hair, and body glitter.

She started with a song that had more of a Stella Ella feel, but the 2nd song was her break-out pop hit Meteor. From there, she alternated between upbeat numbers and slower pop tunes. Her voice has a nasal bite that wasn't a great fit for the faster numbers. On slow "torch songs" like So What and White Town's Your Woman, her vocals was warmer and better for that pop feel. But generally speaking, her set was enthusiastically received. Bossie finished off with Gowan's Strange Animal for an encore. I approve of the new trend of doing covers as encores.