WAX IDOLS
INDEPENDENT, SAN FRANCISCO
26 JULY, 2013
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WAX IDOLS
CHAPEL, SAN FRANCISCO
08 JUNE, 2013
Keeping up with Hether Fortune and
Wax Idols is becoming a full time job, in a good way. Not static, ever mutating, the latest iteration of the group was on display at
The Independent, finding ex-drummer Keven Tecon returning to the fold on keyboards and backing vocals, and his intimacy with the songs took away any learning curve whatsoever. The impact was fascinating and helped underline the musicality of the band that sometimes gets buried in the ferocity. Intensity-wise, it was as above, so below. Guitarist Jennifer Mundy had more room to stretch out, laying out insistent filigrees. Rachel Travers seems totally settled into the drum spot now, and Amy Rosenoff, laconic as always on bass, provides the crucial anchor for the storm around her. Highlights were many, but standing out was a towering take on "Dethroned". Wax Idols are still one of the most compelling bands to watch currently, they don't mess around with stage patter or goofiness, they just laser-focus in, and unload.
In June, Wax Idols opened for Lumerians at
The Chapel, and I was interested to see,
after the rush of initially seeing them, was it just an on night? It took no time at all to dispel any second thoughts I might have had. More dates across the U.S. supporting
Discipline + Desire, (Slumberland Records), had solidified the lineup, and the giddy energy was channeled into a savage, full frontal guitar attack, with no quarter given. "Ad:Re:Ian", (below), opened the set with a roar.
The vocal mix was unflattering, with Fortune all but buried under the band's attack, but the raw energy she projected made up for any aural deficiencies. Old favorite "William Says" made an appearance, followed by blistering takes of "Sound Of A Void" and "Scent Of Love". There was no between song chatter, just a relentless charge through the set, ending with an epic rendition of "Stay In" that words can't describe, (below).
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