Review by Michelle Da Silva (@michdas)
Photos by David Thai (@david_thai)
Sweaty nightcrawlers were alive and well at the Biltmore Cabaret on March 20 as early as 8 p.m. The group, which normally would be sitting down for possibly their first meal of the day having woken just a few hours earlier, were sloshing back cans of PBR like prohibition was just around the corner and buzzing with excitement for a trio of bands that were headlined by Warpaint.
After Catskills-based mood rockers Family Band and Australian trio PVT (formerly Pivot) finished their respective sets, the L.A. –based all-female quartet, namely Emily Kokal on vocals and guitar, Theresa Wayman on guitar and vocals, Jenny Lee Lindberg on bass and vocals, and Stella Mozgawa on drums and keyboard, took the stage.
They started with “Set Your Arms Down”, the haunting opener to their 2010 full-length, The Fool. Kokal unleashed soaring yet raspy vocals over haunting, dissonant chords and a steady, lilting beat. By the time the harmonies were in full force, the entire song proved to have a deeply hypnotic effect over the audience rocking back and forth. While Warpaint was playing at a relatively smaller venue in Vancouver, to say that the band was a newbie to the scene would be a gross miscalculation. Although their full-length came out just last fall, most members of the band have been playing together since 2004, and their 2009 EP, Exquisite Corpse, was early proof that these women were not just hot chicks with instruments, but really knew how to rock. Their dreamy, post-punk, ambient experimental rock is a powerful concoction of Karen O-meets-Bjork-like vocal ability over intricate guitar riffs and intriguing song writing.
After finishing their first song, Kokal announced, “Happy super moon,” acknowledging the exceptionally large full moon that night. The crowd cheered as they launched into “Warpaint”. The song’s almost sinister-sounding accompaniment was heightened by Kokal, Wyman, and Lindberg’s vocals weaving in and out of unison and harmony. Meanwhile, Mozgawa held steady through the song’s tricky rhythms. Sparing no time, Warpaint launched into “Stars” and then “Shadows”. Both songs sounded impressively identical to their recordings. Upon finishing “Shadows”, Kokal exclaimed, “Woah… Speechless” to the roaring crowd, and then noted that she had just named her guitar Spiderfang the Mustang that night.
“Composure,” which combines Go! Team-style chants over Pavement-inspired successions of perfect sixths, was next up. Then, the most mainstream “Undertow” had the crowd singing along.
“Bees” kept the crowd moving until the more sedated “Billie Holiday,” which unexpectedly takes from Mary Wells’ 1964 hit “My Guy”.
To finish their one-hour set, Warpaint launched into a trio of songs: “Beetles”, “Majesty”, and “Elephants”. It was a well thought-out move to end with “Elephant”, as the band goes all-out on this record both instrumentally and vocally. Kokal’s voice soars about a trickling guitar riff that explodes into all out thrashing with drums.
Even thought Warpaint left the stage by 11, the audience looked satisfied and satiated, pouring out onto the residential sidewalk, walking off to their next night spot.
For more upcoming shows check out Timbre Productions, www.timbreproductionsconcerts.com.
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