Juliette Lewis and Band of Skulls @ The Opera House

I'll be the first to admit that I was more than a little embarrassed about telling fellow music snobs that I was going to see Juliette Lewis at the Opera House last week. The credibility factor of an artist decreases significantly amongst the musical elitist community when said artist is in the much maligned and mocked 'actor turned rock star' category. That is, of course, unless the artist's first name sounds a little bit like Zooey. Still, think what you will about the musical stylings of one Juliette Lewis, but this girl puts on one heck of a rock show, and her wild onstage persona is certainly worthy of imitation, even if she borrows quite a bit from the kings and queens of rock 'n roll past.

She was in town to promote her latest release, the Licks-less Terra Incognita. Upon doing some research in preparation for the show, I was surprised to find out that she was now traveling with a new band that she's formed, known as The New Romantiques. She hit the stage sporting some pretty intense attire that was reminiscent of Bowie circa Spiders From Mars. Her makeup was also straight out of glam rock 101, which was appropriate as she boasted a flurry of rock 'n roll poses that ranged from legendary Mick Jagger to nouveau Karen O. She had recently talked about how her new album captures the many flavours of her emotional life and voice. As the first few songs whizzed by, emotional candor wasn't the first thing that came to my mind, although the pure adrenalin that she was sweating all over the appreciative crowd was more than entertaining enough for me. But then it was somewhere near the halfway mark of her show that she pulled out an intensely bluesy number that literally had me standing there with my mouth agape. When she wants to, she's got a voice that is as powerful as I've ever heard, and I honestly can't remember the last time that I saw so much emotion exuded by a performer. Contrary to the opinion's of many, ( my pre-show personality included) Juliette Lewis is the real deal, and I truly believe that she is totally sincere in what she is trying to accomplish in the world of rock music.

Upon revisisting some of the songs in her catalogue, I'm not sure that I'm ready to jump aboard as being a huge fan of her material, but as far as being a fan of Juliette Lewis the live performer, you can definitely count me in!

Photos: My shots of Juliette Lewis @ The Opera House are on flickr.
Myspace: Juliette Lewis

Now the band that I was actually in attendance to see was Band of Skulls, who opened the show for Ms. Lewis. Last week I finally took the time to give their album Baby Darling Doll Face Honey a proper listen and what I like about it is the seamless way that it combines a classic garage rock raunch with the soaring melodies of 90's Brit pop to create a sound that's dirty yet streamlined. Upon seeing them perform it was clear that the songs work even better live, as the band took the opportunity to display some extended guitar licks and show off their immense talent without ever succumbing to overindulgent wankery, even though they no doubt could have, if they felt so inclined. Lead Russ Marsden exudes a down to earth sort of grungy persona that works as a perfect complement to Emma Richardson's sonically enhancing harmonies and basslines. The way that their hard rock sound incorporates heavy elements of the blues lends themselves many comparisons to bands like The White Stripes and Black Keys, but in their more atmospheric and slightly progressive numbers, I couldn't help but hear traces of The Verve as well. It's their mild penchant for atmosphere that helps the band to escalate past being simply another powerful rock 'n roll band, although that they are as well.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to this band in the near future. The buzz is already growing at a rapid pace, but their back to basics style does not lend itself easily to becoming just another fad. They have a sound that is classic rock in every sense of the word, and I've got a feeling that longevity and stadium shows may be in the cards for this power trio from Southampton.

Photos: My shots of Band of Skulls @ The Opera House are on flickr
Myspace: Band of Skulls