By Karynn Brown
Photos by Deb Andersen
March 30, 2018
Bones performs at The Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, Neb., on March 28, 2018. Deb Andersen/KZUM.
Whatever female revolutionary-punk-cult Bones is trying to form, I want in on it.
Carmen Vandenberg and Rosie Bones, originally from the Camden Town neighborhood of London, England, moved to Los Angeles last year to focus on their U.S. career.
Bones is the badass, black-leather-and-denim studded duo that plays gnarly, powerful guitar riffs with a heartbreak studded lyricism and impressive vocal range.
The duo performed on the Bourbon theater’s Rye Room stage Wednesday night, March 28th.
Local performer Plack Blague brought his similarly power-pop dance rhythms and performance to open the stage that night.
The perfect local companion to Bones, Plack Blague set the stage for intense, vaguely sexual, pop-punk-without-the-pop-or-the-punk performances.
Plack Blague gave an intense opening performance, playing off the concentrated backdrop of the Rye Room. Blague’s longtime local support drew an energetic crowd, getting the show started near 8:30 p.m. Blague’s work pairs the popular heavy beats of a stereotypical 80’s dance club with a gutteral noise-driven, other-worldly linguistic input from singer Raws Sleshinger. Plack Blague is well known for his leather, spikes and sexually toned performances.
Bones has experienced a fast-growing fascination of fans in the last year, with their hit single, “Beautiful is Boring” sparking a fascination with the group in 2017. The release of “Girls Can’t Play Guitar”`followed shortly after, propelling the group through tours with Highly Suspect, PVRIS and Band of Skulls.
2018 brough Bones onto their debut headline tour, playing across Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas. This tour featured several performances at the Austin, Texas, music festival, South by Southwest.
Bones’s performance was a fun, anamorphic work. Opening the performance with a chant calling them on stage and “Are You Happy?”, Rosie’s voice came in sick and soulful, rounding out the heavy instrumentals.
Their set created a near-chemical reaction with the Rye Room stage. The venue’s low, slanted ceiling bounced purple, blue and bright white strobe lights back and forth from the floor. The smog machines added height and drama to the event, silhouetting the two women.
Dressed in matching black denim overalls and heavy black boots, the two women flaunted lines of sexuality and masculinity, crossing whatever wherever they damn well pleased.
Bones comes through with a powerful message in their music, writing biting feminist pop anthems. “Boring is Beautiful” was prefaced with a monologue from Rosie highlighting the endless cycle of calling for women to be beautiful and perfect.
“This song goes out of anyone in the audience who feels like they’re imperfect!” cried Rosie as the song started. The set continued on a similar note, the band using their audience interactions as a chance to speak candidly about their views and music.
“Girls Can’t Play Guitar” is Bones’s hit song inspired by an encounter with a male audience member and fellow musician.
Bones performs at The Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, Neb., on March 28, 2018. Deb Andersen/KZUM.
The song is toned with radical anger and explosive talent, clearly fueled by the rage of every woman who has ever been told she wasn’t allowed to do something.
Wednesday’s set featured a mix of newer and older songs, showing off the group’s diverse style and development. Earlier songs such as “Life is for the Living” show of an almost Americana-like voice. These slower, softer songs follow a pop-song format that feels familiar and dance-worthy.
Carmen and Rosie use this pop energy to flaunt a sex-positive dance style, ripping into provocative and erratic movements throughout any song.
Wednesday was the first show for Bones in Lincoln. The group is closing in on the end of their fall tour, playing a final show in Denver Thursday night. Their debut album is set to release later this year and as summer tour will place them at Hangout Fest in May and Lollapalooza in June. They have self-produced and released several videos for their most popular songs, including their newest, “LIMBS”.
Karynn Brown is an intern with KZUM. Deb Andersen hosts “The Wimmin’s Show” on KZUM every Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.
