Bleached - Doug Fir Lounge, Portland OR - April 30, 2016

[Los Angeles, CA] The band that motivated my/our attendance. I had a vague notion I knew them and that they were garage pop/punk n roll – didn’t have time to verify any of this. Ended up next to a Music Millenium employee who compared them to the Go-Gos – I scoffed in my head – he was right. Straight Pat Benatar 80s female hard rock. I am totally positively biased toward female rockers but I was so unpersuaded by this band. Maybe because they didn’t align with my preconceptions. Maybe because they were so derivative … unfair because so was the first (all male) band. The lead singer—sexy kitten furry sweater and miniskirt and distractingly awful Courtney Love hair (a la 90s)—was just absent, passionless… maybe it was a bad night. The nerdy awkward bass player kept making awkward comments to the crowd as if she weren’t, that only confirmed she was. I hadn’t even noticed the lead guitarist (sister of lead singer I think) but Flame pointed out she was excellent – the bassist actually was too. And suddenly the second song was really catchy and good (may have been a cover). And then the third song was flat. I just couldn’t get into this band. Got home and properly looked them up in my files and I didn’t only vaguely know them but had seen them before – at SXSW – with Hunx and His Punx – so what’s up with the lack of garage pop?? They’re really good recorded – must have been a bad night. Or they’ve taken a wrong turn – in my not-humble opinion – with their sound.