You know you’re in for a great night when you get to the venue bang on time for doors and find a queue swirling around the corner, most already clad in customised merch of the artist. So was the case on a sunny summer Friday, when fans of Starbenders turned out for the Atlanta natives’ first UK headline tour, promoting their critically acclaimed album The Beast Goes On.
The moment the four piece appeared on stage, I felt transported in time and got a taste of what it must have felt like to see the likes of New York Dolls live – my best way of describing Starbenders is goth and glam Fleetwood Mac – they have the classic rock hooks and riffs with lyrics relatable and easy to sing along to, and the frontwoman Kimi Shelter has magnetic stage presence that’s part Stevie Nicks, part Florence Welch, and yet entirely singular.
As I squeezed to the front row for the first couple of songs, I started to chat to the eagerly awaiting young fans dressed up for the event in their finest goth wares, fishnets, crosses and lace gloves galore, and I remembered the excitement of my first gigs as a teenager – turning up at a dark venue that seems bigger than it is, the stickiness of the floors, the lack of barrier and the possibility to reach out for the idol in front of you – and I felt that giddiness rub off on me.
The glam, the riffs and the band’s charisma were undeniable and the audience was instantly enamoured. Kimi Shelter remarked how special London was for the band and the love was mutual, with fans singing along to every word. When she introduced ‘We’re Not OK’, one of the singles from their previous album Take Back The Night, Kimi Shelter mentioned how the director of the music video “said to make it look like you’re not ok, but when you’re together you’re a bit less bit ok – together”, and that sentiment really resonated with the audience. The eerie first verses felt built into an anthemic chorus and soon the whole room was screaming in unison:
We’re not ok
No matter how much we pray
In between songs, Kimi Shelter asked “London, are you ready to catch a flight? Let me hear you say ‘yeeeeeahhhhh'” – and she waited until we all got the right ‘yeah’: husky, drawn out, damn right sexy. She followed it up with asking “London, are you wet?!” And the well rehearsed room rumbled with a “YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH” – and it felt perfect. A rock show you can truly write home about: cool, mysterious, incredibly sexy – it made me want to be a young fan at the beginning of my musical journey again.
STARBENDERS continue their tour across Europe, so if you are in need of a loud, sexy, heavy rock – don’t sleep on them before they blow up.