Tonight I finally got to see Fierce Perm play live at a 7:00 pm show at the Hemlock Tavern, opening for an unusual internet-born act called Leslie and the Lys. It was a strange time slot, a wonderfully strange headliner and a totally enthralling night of entertainment all around. I feared the tiny back room where the live music takes place at the hemlock wouldn’t be large enough for all the people que-ed up in a line that snaked all the way around the inside of the bar and then some. As I waited I started to panic, thinking I wouldn’t get in to see one of the greatest new bands I’ve heard in ages playing their last show ever and if I didn’t get to see them I just might die. After all, I missed their Saturday appearance at a house party with Mon Cousin Belge because I had to work so this was my only chance. I was so relieved once I made it in to the very packed room and nestled up as close to the low stage as possible. Relief was quickly replaced by transfixed with excitement as the band members started taking the stage, three guys first, all lookers in their own rock n roll way, then the vocalist Nadia took the stage all vivacious, funny and sexy in leopard print, commenting on how packed the place was and how she was glad she showered cause “I wasn’t gonna.” She grabbed the microphone stand and the band tore into their first song. The kinky hair whipped into a flurry of motion and she belted out the first line in that way that makes people think, “Ooh, that girl can sing.” She’s sassy and tough with a commanding presence and a voice that showed far more range and versatility in live performance. She can do a lot more than just scream, which she does brilliantly, in fact that’s what hooked me from the first listen. That unhinged quality isn’t the only thing this enchanting siren has to offer, that’s for sure. The band also had a certain we-mean-business level of skill, entering several steps above the punk rock chaos realm I sort of anticipated and steadily raising the bar song by song. This was a cohesive trio of musicians hitting all the marks and resonating with rock and roll passion and swagger. I was impressed and my expectations were pretty high. After all, they have the coolest band name ever, so when that’s the case, you better rise to the occasion. Tonight Fierce Perm did that.
Next up was Leslie and the Lys, one of the most unusual and hilarious acts I’ve witnessed in a long time. Leslie Hall is a self-made internet superstar from Ames, Iowa who first achieved notoriety with her dazzling collection of Gem sweaters, sweaters that have been decorated with gems, rhinestones, beads, studs, jewels, or pearls, favored by Midwestern housewives seeking a bit of extra prettiness in the heartland. She created a website of photos of herself modeling each sweater in her collection (check it out at http://www.lesliehall.com/gemsweater/gallery.htm) and the site became very popular and led her to the next logical step, to create a rap group with sights set on world domination and sharing the beauty, magic, and craftsmanship of this art form. Okay then. Pretty out there stuff for certain but my curiosity really got the best of me so I stuck around for the show and I haven’t laughed so hard in ages. This was beyond belief. Leslie is a big Midwestern gal with big hair and big glasses, made larger than life in her gold sparkly super-hero-like track suit with long fringe on the sleeves and a Janet Jackson headset and her live/fake DJ Dr. Laura handling the beats and visuals from a laptop. She performs original songs that synthesize her favorite elements of the Midwestern experience, along with a few forays into superhero territory and some instructional dance sensations. She has produced several amazing videos as do most musical artists here in the video age and she uses some lovely footage of dog grooming, haircutting, middle-aged exercise videos and other great imagery projected in the background. She struts and dances through a world of dated moves like the robot and at times gives shades of Elvis’s latter years, along with some basic rocker and rapper postures. Her physical comedic timing is rapid-fire genius, along with her facial expressions, drawing a hard belly laugh out of me just about every thirty seconds with these subtle glimpses of parody or reclamation or just owning it old school style, old school Midwestern mother type style. Incidentally she mentioned that when people come up and ask her about her fantastic threads she can always say “My Mama made it for me,” because her mother creates all the costumes—knowing where to put the double stitching on the high stress areas for maximum comfort and confidence.
At one point she brought two volunteers from the crowd onstage to balance a two by four board on their shoulders while she slips into a suspension harness and performs a fantastic suspended dance routine. I was laughing so hard it hurt. She also brought members of the audience onstage who were wearing gem sweaters and christened and named each one with the fervor of a televangelist, signing certificates of authenticity. My favorite song was one called “zombie killer” with appropriate dance moves explaining the basic zombie theme-ed survival tactic. “Shoot themn in the brains/ if you want to live/ shoot them in the brains/ even the little kids.” I was slayed. It was a great show but as I was leaving I met two of the members of Fierce Perm out in front of the bar when they asked me if I’d take a picture of them. It was Nadia and the guitarist and I told them that I was the one who wrote them up a couple weeks ago and they thanked me and Nadia said, “But you were so wrong…we aren’t breaking up at all!” the guitarist interjected, “We were but we’re not anymore after all.”
“Thanks for the scoop then,” I said. “I’m on deadline right now.” This definitely put a spring in my step on the walk home. Look for Fierce Perm—they’ll be back.