JAN. 28, 2006
at the Double Door
Four bands were playing at this showcase organized by a zine called The Crutch (sorry, never heard of it before…), and I showed up in time for the last two bands: Bang! Bang! and Healthy White Baby.
I’ve seen Bang! Bang! calling its music “sex rock,” which seems like a gimmick to me. Like other rock music isn’t about sex? Come on. But it’s definitely a band with sex appeal (well, at least bassist and singer Greta Fine is sexy, from my standpoint…) And their songs (which I’d never heard before tonight’s show) were exciting and energetic. This is definitely a band I plan to check out again.
The club was crowded, and the response to Bang! Bang! was fairly frenzied, so it was a little disappointed to see the audience dissipate before Healthy White Baby took the stage. The crowd was smaller but still appreciative. As the band set up, I was wondering, “Where’s Laurie Stirratt?” Later in the concert, guitarist-vocalist Danny Black explained that she couldn’t play the show because of some family responsibilities, and rather than cancel the concert, the band brought in a substitute bassist (introduced only as “Jeff”).
It was a good performance of the songs from Healthy White Baby’s 2005 debut (which has grown on me — I think I underrated it initinally), plus one goofy cover, Maxine Nightingale’s 1976 disco hit, “Right Back Where We Started From.” HWB’s songs remind me a little of the Black Keys, with their gritty blues-rock riffs.
