The Violent Femmes recently played to a packed house in Norwalk, CT at The Wall Street Theater. Forty-plus years after they formed, they still have the same youthful exuberance they had when I first saw them at a small New Haven basement club 39 years ago. Shortly after that show, the band really started to get noticed but they never strayed from their original plan, delivering a fun, upbeat, and sometimes a bit bizarre performance for their loyal fans.
Opening the evening was Asarah & The Nubatones. This Brooklyn-based band serves up a unique offering of East African retro-pop. They blend Sudanese Nubian music with a nicely balanced mix of modern influences. Lead singer Asarah’s voice moves between tender and powerful seamlessly. She’s vocally backed by her sister Nahid who has a similarly enchanting voice. The band has been together since 201o and has released one album, 2016’s Manara. While touring the world they’ve received critical acclaim wherever they’ve performed.
The Femmes took the stage to a thunderous cheer. The original members, guitarist/lead vocalist Gordon Gano and bassist Brian Ritchie looked quite happy with their reception. Joining them on stage were drummer John Sparrow and multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza. The band performed a mix of songs that tipped toward their earlier releases. Mind you, the newer songs were equally well received by the raucous crowd.
One thing that hasn’t changed throughout the history of the band is its unorthodox style. One gets a sense of the unconventionality of the band as soon as the stage setup begins. Front and center of the stage is the percussion setup consisting of two snare drums and yes, a Webber kettle grill! At the rear of the stage stood a Shaquille O’Neal sized saxophone and to the far left stood a xylophone used solely on “Gone Daddy Gone”, which was their first single back in 1983. If one looked closely, one could see a conch shell on top of a stack of amps. Brian Ritchie played the shell horn which is best known as a Pacific Island instrument/communication tool. Gano also regaled the audience with his strumming and bowing a violin. See attached photos for all of these instruments.
It’s tough to pick out the best moments of the show but here it goes. When Brian Ritchie donned his electric bass, stepped up to the mic, and shouted “When I say dance, you best dance mother f’er” the air was electric. The music came together and hit every person in the venue with a right uppercut. The guttural vocals of Ritchie and the discordant blaring of Garza’s sax were all-powerful. Another song that really struck this reviewer was “Gimme The Car”. There were moments when it sounded as though the band was going to break every instrument as they played them with such wild abandon. There were many other moments that were amazing but you’ll just have to go to a Violent Femmes show and experience them yourself. You will not be sorry!
There are only a few more dates left on this tour (Click Here). The band is still well-received and they still seem to truly enjoy what they are doing. For those two reasons it would be hard to believe that we won’t be seeing them tour again in the new year. Keep your fingers crossed!
