Let’s face it: Doll Fest Pre-Party was the party. Doll Fest is a fresh new festival of femme-fronted bands. Thankfully, organizer Maria Chaos (interviewed on KALX on February 26) plans to bring it back next year. I showed up at Ivy Room for this teaser event, and while I was waiting for Humanhead to kick things off, their vocalist Maria Xeno walked by and flashed me a smile. I thought, there’s someone who is ready to rock. Here we go!
Sure enough Humanhead took the stage and blew through an amazing set of what I’ll call progressive hardcore. Is that even a genre? It’s probably not what they call it themselves, but I’ve never heard so many time signatures in punk. Fortunately, my bandmate and drummer was there with me and helped break down the time signatures I was hearing: alternating between 7/8 and 6/8 with some 5/4 sprinkled in. No wonder I couldn’t keep count. Travis Williams’s bass had a deep, humming tone that made my whole body vibrate–exactly how I like it. Steve Wickwire, when not shredding, played around with interesting distortion and effects. Jordan Perkins-Lewis laid down some solid drums, which was exactly what was needed with all the time changes. Really though, it was hard to take my eyes off Xeno, a perpetual motion machine with amazing harsh vocals and riveting energy.
I had barely recuperated from the excitement of that set when Fatale took the stage. The first song started hard and fast, but quickly devolved into a sludgy breakdown and then ramping back up again. This satisfying combination, plus the guitarist and bass player singing in call and response style, and a ripping, relentless attack on the drums gives Fatale a unique and captivating sound. This was my second time seeing them, and I liked them even more with more exposure. “Monster Cock” and “Vengeance” were standouts for me, but the whole set was incredibly satisfying. The volume of the applause after each song indicated I wasn’t alone in this assessment.
When Loud Graves came on, I realized the trajectory of the evening’s sound was shifting from harsher to smoother. There’s nothing wrong with straightforward playing from the heart, though. Sabrina, the vocalist (who also plays in The Applicators), led the way, and many members of this five-piece pop punk band sang along at times. They had everyone in the crowd singing along as well as dancing. Most of the songs were from an upcoming, yet-to-be released album, but the fans in the crowd already knew the words and were shouting them out. It was kind of adorable, just like their logo.
The night finished with Dog Party and more pop punk. This sister duo played off each other like only siblings can. With striking guitar riffs from Gwennie Giles and cogent, minimal drumming by Lucy Giles, Dog Party creates catchy music that recalls old school girl bands, but with the drums way forward in the mix. Singing about the pitfalls of love, their seamlessly blended voices carry the bittersweet vocals. On songs like “Bullet in Disguise” Lucy throws in a little more edge, and tracks like “A Shot of Dangerous” are held together by stellar riffs. Despite the crowd not being particularly mosh-oriented, a tiny little circle pit formed and wove through the people dancing near the stage.
The night started with one of the musicians smiling at me, and all through the night there was an abundance of smiles and laughter on stage. These musicians were killing it and having a great time doing it. The positive feel-good vibe of the night was invigorating. If this was a taste of things to come, Doll Fest is going to be a weekend to remember.
Review and photography by Artemis Jones
