Header image by T Goodwin / Words by Willa Rudolph
Everyone’s favorite Euro-trash-coded punk rock trio Le Bang released a new single “Wannabe” via House of Feelings on August 27th, and then threw a sick masquerade ball at Ridgewood’s TV Eye.
“Sleazeball” entailed: masks and a sleazy attitude. Which is basically Le Bang’s whole shtick.
“Wannabe” came out alongside a sick video, directed by House of Feelings’ Auel Kanaybekov and shot by Layla Blue Rudolph. The NYC-based band sings their song in front of a green screen, filming a music video while chaos consumes the crew. It’s a music video inside a music video, essentially, and sort of ‘mockumentary’ style.
A mixture of French and English, the lyrics are catchy and fun, the chorus repeating: “I wanna be your girlfriend, I wanna be your boss / I wanna be trouble, and I wanna be Kate Moss,” lead singer Lola Lancón yells over the track.
The bass is dirty, the vocals are crunchy, and the drums are crisp. It’s intentionally blown out and grungy, calling upon their predecessors Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, Lady Tron, Batmobile, the likes…
The lineup of Sleazeball was perfect for what it was: MEH, Prints, The Dutch Kills, and Le Bang. Girl fronted bands was the name, indie sleaze was the game.
(Click through the slideshow to pretend you were there / below photos by T Goodwin)
The sweaty and rainy night only added to the grease and grime that everyone was rocking due to the theme and the vibe, and Le Bang’s performance had the whole room hootin’ and hollerin’. “Bunny Boy,” a character created by Lancon and also the name of one of their songs (lowkey my fave), even made an appearance, in the form of Ben Aruz (Pretty Sick, Taraneh) wearing a Bunny Boy mask.
Lola also took the below selfie on stage at the end of her set. You can see how much everyone was happy to be there and support the new release! Even Sydney in the front there, mean muggin’. LOL
“‘Wannabe’ is the start of a series of singles that will lead to an amazing album,” Lola tells The Deli. So definitely keep an eye out for more! “The next single will probably be out when it’s chilly out.”
(More Sleazeball / Below photos by Auel Kanaybekov)
Keep up with Le Bang here.