This past Memorial Day weekend while everyone was brunching and BBQ’ing (and apparently in Lake Tahoe!), I headed to the Echoplex on a Saturday afternoon on my own to celebrate a Birthday of a beloved institution – Play Like A Girl!
Headliners Kitten and Smoke Season drew me into the show, but I was just as excited to listen to a new lineup of female-fronted bands I hadn’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing. I was greeted by friendly faces upon arrival around 4:30, just in time to catch the second band of the day, Stars at Night. Amongst the modest crowd of hard-rock enthusiasts, I spotted a table I had missed with only a handful of swag bags. I snagged mine and immediately noticed the Urban Decay lipstick package, which I promptly put on! I also stopped by the raffle table filled with impressive prizes and with proceeds going to the trans alliance, and I gladly made my $5 entry.
Spare Parts for Broken Hearts was the first full set I was able to experience, and they got me really excited for what was about to come. They were an alt/garage-rock group with a lead singer who was quite impressive. Between the setups, I headed out to the smoke filled patio that featured several eclectic vendors and a food truck. I got myself a Black Flag button that said “Black Coffee” instead, the iconic lines taking the shape as coffee cups in their place.
The Bedroom Witch had an elaborate setup – the trans woman walked around the stage placing styrofoam heads and wigs atop three pillars and a string of purple lights. She wore a fierce all-black outfit, complete with a crop top and witch’s hat brim. Her set took the shape of a performance art piece, as electronic music played while she sung or spoke and a film of her in her bedroom played silently in the background.
Twin Temple was one of my favorites from the night. I was looking forward to their set after seeing their “satanic” (more like witchy) merch table, complete with palo santo sticks and magic candles for sale. The front woman was small yet fierce, donning all black with a black veil and leading all-male bandmates also sporting black outfits and satanic necklaces. They started the scene with an altar ritual and played an impressive set of psych and surf rock with a satanic twist (think “Oh Lucifer” instead of “Oh Baby). They were backed by a sax and trumpet player, and boy could she sing! I later discovered she’s a trained violinist. Go figure.
The charming Viaa took the stage next, and played some soulful indie-pop. Iress was a powerhouse of an act, bringing in a Chelsea Wolfe meets Slowdive vibe to the stage. The lead singer sang over a wash of sound with such might, she moved the entire crowd.
Blimes Brtixton added the hip-hop element to the fest, and Sisu played a short but sweet dreamy indie set. Smoke Season took the stage, and performed their indie-pop all out. Singer Gabbi has such a confidence about her on stage, and moves and sings with such precision and grace. Big balloons were tossed into the now-crowded room, raining confetti when they finally popped.
But the crowd really went nuts for Kitten – her voice shimmered and belted over indie-pop tunes with an ’80’s vibe, and she simply couldn’t stop moving. At one point, she even climbed up the stage and jumped into the crowd and just crowd surfed for a while. It was quite a show! Vagina balloons were eventually tossed into the crowd, and PLAG was officially one!
Between the bands, I did my best to be social and the concert-goers were delightfully interested! I’d talk about my blog, they’d share about their band or project and it really gave the night a community feeling vibe. A lovely hilarious couple even bought me my first Irish Carbomb (which I regretted in the a.m.), but it was just that kind of night! I even sat myself in the meme photo booth and had a blast finding that my facial expressions matched the meme generator to perfection.
PLAG did a stellar job with this lineup of impressive female-fronted acts, even giving GIRLSCHOOL a run for it’s money! (not that it’s a competition…) PLAG hosts events every month for just a small entry fee. If you’re in the L.A. area, come out and support the girls (who run the world!)
Visit PLAG’s website to attend an upcoming show – see you there!
Indiecation 