I had the good, no make that great, fortune of seeing Le Butcherettes live last year at Rough Trade in Brooklyn.
Here are a few of the things I said about that:
At some point during the opening song, Teri Gender-Bender, born Teresa Suárez, moved out from behind the keyboard and stomped her feet repeatedly in a shamanic dance-like gesture, sending great thumps of sound out into the audience while staring us down. It was unexpected, somewhat shocking in its reference to primal ritual, and I was not alone in feeling hooked, entranced and engaged on a more-than-music level. A few songs later, she smeared her blood red lipstick beyond the confines of her lips with the palm of her hand, further reinforcing the savage, smearing beauty.
This connection and masterfully manic energy did not slip, wane, or wander for the duration of the show. I’ve never experienced this kind of energy, this kind or raw ability, and this kind of pure joy in the moment. The band, all dressed in red, which includes Chris Common on drums and Riko Rodríguez-López on bass, with Teri moving from keyboards to wickedly raunchy guitar in support of her glossolalia-like vocals, were perfect and reinforced the power of the classic rock trio (or is that trinity?).
The News here is the band is on tour again in North America and I would recommend, very highly, you go and see ’em if they are coming to a city near you.
Check the tour dates on the band’s website.