REVIEW: Juliette and the Licks
- Posted on October 1, 2007 6:12 PM
- 0 comments
Juliette and the Licks
With The Checks
Indigo2
- Katie Spain
My last brush with Juliette Lewis was on stage at the Apollo Theatre in London. Dave Grohl watched on in the audience as we chatted about her role in the End production of ‘Fool For Love’. She cut a mesmerising figure back then – slender in frame, softly spoken and detached in nature. She seemed to float in a Juliette Lewis dream world and spoke only after a few moments of deep thought. Her answers were random, and her mind seemed far from her stage role. I suspect it was lodged in the world of rock… and after her performance at the Indigo2 last night, I can see why.
Most know Miss Lewis for her roles on screen. We’ve seen her get dirty with Brad Pitt in ‘Kalifornia’, comfy with Johnny Depp in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ and feisty in ‘Natural Born Killers’ and ‘Cape Fear’. Never before however, has she looked more at home than when she’s on stage with her band.
Any actress can form a band and pull in fans based on fanatical followers alone. Few can actually pull off a bloody fantastic show (let alone sing). Juliette and the Licks have three albums under their tight spandex belts and legions of fans based on musical talent alone.
The fans in London last night were a mixed bunch of sassy females wearing head-bands with feathers protruding from their tousled barnets and middle-aged men. I’m not talking the dirty variety (though I’m sure Juliette’s tight outfits sent a few hearts racing), nope, I’m talking the types of guys who obviously love heavy rock…
There’s something about a band led by a woman with ‘balls’. Not the testosterone-packed variety… but the type of raw passion and stage presence displayed by the likes of the aforementioned Dave Grohl. The band have supported The Foo Fighters and Muse in the past – sure, it pays to have mates in high places but in the world of Rock and Roll, a microphone and a recognisable face isn’t going to secure you a spot on stage unless you cut the musical mustard.
Tonight, Juliette Lewis isn’t a woman afraid of sweating or of dislodging a hair or five-hundred. She is a nymph unleashed and an inspiration to straight, gay and not-so-sure women world-wide. Imagine the gentle, lithe Arwyn from ‘The Lord Of the Rings’ suddenly overcome by the devil from The Exorcist. Juliette writhes, jerks and cavorts her way across the stage like a woman possessed. The fans love it.
The band rips through their tunes with reckless abandon – Juliette’s voice has the raspy edge of a chain smoker (though I’m not sure if she’s actually fond of a puff). Her voice isn’t fabulous but its subtle imperfections give a nod to rock greats of old and suit the bands gritty style to perfection. ‘Hot Kiss’ whips the crowd into a flurry and ‘Sticky Honey’ proves that “Money, money, money” isn’t funny – not even in this rich girl’s world. Instead, it’s a catchy tune with a punch to pack. “I Got Needs” should be the 2007 women’s lyrics of the year… I hope the men in the audience took note. I doubt it, they seemed too busy rocking.
Tough exterior aside, the starlet is human and inadvertently reminds us of this when she asks who was at her last London gig at The Astoria? “I was nervous then…”
Nerves seem to be a thing of the past – and confidence is out in abundance. Despite myself, I drift off… the tunes begin to drift into one and even the frequent shedding of clothing fails to grab me. Maybe my own weekend of abundance is to blame – after partying like a rock star, I just don’t have the energy to keep up with one.
For those who could, the night is damn near perfect. The biggest victims are the crushed feathers and my liver but that my dears, isn’t a Juliette issue. The masses have a new angel to look up to; her wings may be a tad burnt and her halo dislodged but as far as role models go, this one is a breath of sharply exhaled air.
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