Pity Sex West Coast Tour

PITY SEX

WHIRR

SELF DEFENSE

GIRLPOOL

CHAIN REACTION, ANAHEIM, CA

03 JANUARY, 2015

So it begins, the first show of the new year kicking off with a road trip down to Anaheim to the Disneyland for Punks all ages club known as Chain Reaction, the occasion being the Pity Sex/Whirr west coast tour. LA duo Girlpool seeded their set with new songs, while covering a good chunk of their current EP, dropping in a vicious "Jane" to keep the crowd on their toes. Upstate NY's Self Defense (Self Defense Family) upped the ante with a powerful set reminiscent of the salad days of DC. They were new to me, but made enough of an impact to follow up further. Bay Area noise merchants Whirr do it their way,  serenaded onstage by Vince Guaraldi's chestnut: "Christmas Time Is Here". Stirring a cauldron of guitar noise, Whirr proved a vital force. Pity Sex, from Ann Arbor, MI put the exclamation point on the evening, bringing together all the disparate elements of the night into a raucous and emotional package, and among the highlights were an immense take on "Coca Cola" and the rarely played "Hollow Body". Thanks to everyone at Chain Reaction for a well-run show; i'll look forward to returning.

PITY SEX:

WHIRR:

SELF DEFENSE:

GIRLPOOL: