LA-based four-piece Death Valley Girls brought their spirited rock-n-roll to Rich Mix in Shoreditch last Wednesday, with support from the darkly alluring alt-rock outfit Velvetine.
With her bright smile and fluorescent hair accessories, frontwoman Bonnie Bloomgarden was quite literally glowing onstage, and her radiance was only reinforced by the clear enthusiasm and passion of her bandmates. The audience was similarly passionate and enthusiastic; it was evident that Death Valley Girls’ arrival to the UK this year was long-awaited by their British fanbase, which, if the crowd that night was any indication, seems span to all age groups and subcultures. Simply put, I have never seen so many gray-haired men dance that hard.
Having never heard Death Valley Girls before this show, I had taken their name and gothic aesthetic – see their merch proudly proclaiming that “Satan Worships Death Valley Girls” – to signal a hardcore punk or heavy metal sound. And yet, while they certainly adopt a punk ethos through-and-through, their sound is a bit more subdued and pop-minded than I expected, rendering their music danceable and easy to sing along to.
The band’s set was sonically divided into two acts. The first half took on a more old-school rockabilly quality, with Bloomgarden’s melodic drones on the organ providing a rich background for guitarist Heather Nation’s jangly, surf-y riffs. Bloomgarden doesn’t shy away from the nasal twang in her voice, but her delivery was nonetheless soulful. During the songs “Watch the Sky” and “Sunday,” the music seemed to rack through her whole body as she pressed her hands hard onto the keys and shook her knees like Elvis. All four members contributed vocals throughout; bassist Sarah Linton, who spent the whole night banging the hell out of the strings on her sparkly silver bass, got her time to shine on the witchy anthem “Magic Powers”.
In the second half, Bloomgarden abandoned her keyboard for an electric guitar, and the songs adopted a classic four-chord punk sound with shredding solos and anthemic choruses. The whole group’s energy ramped up during this second half, with Bloomgarden, Linton, and Nation dancing about as Drummer Rikki Styx put her whole body into the beat.
The most distinctive quality about Death Valley Girls, in my opinion, is the warmth and friendliness they exude. They often spent their shared singing parts smiling, laughing, and exchanging looks. At one point, Bloomgarden stepped offstage and began hugging audience members (consensually, of course) with a big smile on her face. Even I got a hug – she’s a great hugger. Their grand finale, which included a heartfelt thank-you to the sound engineer and two encore numbers, exuded the same infectious positivity that had filled the room since their very first chord.
I am grateful to Death Valley Girls from giving me a moment of respite and joy during a stressful week. Dare I say Satan has good taste?
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