Photo by Jordan Jacquess
It was an hour later than scheduled with a line snaking down the side of the building before the show at Third Man Records was filled with the din of garage rock and snarly pop punk. It was basically punk night at Third Man, and the venue was pretty much packed for the first set. A super-elevated stage made my usual 5’3”-girl-stuck-standing-behind-a-6’-guy problem nonexistent, which was a pleasant surprise because there was a lot to see in terms of band presentation . Cy Barkley, a fairly new trio of boys who like noise, went on first. They’ve got a 7” out now and are looking for a new moniker for the band, which is currently named after their lead singer and founder. Their gritty Ramones-reminiscent punk riffs and the guttural shouts of the frontman were good, but stage presence paled in comparison to the foursome that followed.
Heavy Cream’s pixie-like frontwoman (Jessica of MEEMAW), clad in skintight leopard print, stole Karen O’s orgasmic vocals and Iggy Pop’s gyrating movements, and it was captivating throughout the entire set of under two-minute songs about stiff legs and girls named Tina. Her squeals and howls were befitting for the grating guitars and percussive rumble backing it, and as a side note: a dollar for every time she showed us the whites of her eyes would have bought everyone a beer or two.
Cheap Time’s mash of scratchy garage rock and punk sentiment with elements of ’60s pop makes for a dynamic set, and towards the end of the erratic session of stripped guitars and cymbal-heavy percussion, Jemina Pearl (formerly of Be Your Own Pet) joined them onstage for a song. That was the last set I caught at the venue, but I’ve little doubt pop-rock trio The Ettes kept up the same energy before JEFF the Brotherhood finished the night. – Jessica Pace