Manic In Seattle - DOLL SKIN Gig Review! 8/17/17
Doll Skin
@Chop Suey
Seattle, WA
8/17/17
Greetings!
This week has been one of checking out younger artists for
Eclectic Arts - one of which was new to me, two of which were not. Doll Skin fit into the ladder category having
seen them last year in April.
The foursome from Phoenix AZ were out on a headlining run of
dates supporting their newest release, "Manic Pixie Dream Girl",
which came out on the best day ever - June 16th (my birthday).
The band joined the Warped Tour for several dates earlier
this summer (including Seattle on June 16th) before this headlining run of
shows. They will be hitting the road
again this fall on the One Eyed Doll tour.
Doll Skin initially created a buzz due to their young ages,
the David Ellefson connection of Megadeth fame, and perhaps being an all female
band. Anyone who saw the band live in
the last year or so know that they are exactly that - a band. Other than Sydney's voice sounding young
(which can't be helped due to her age - it'll mature as she matures), the band
bring a raw intensity on stage that rivals any other band I've seen, regardless
of their age. The punk spirit is there
as well as a healthy dose of fun. When I
first saw the band, I could not believe how bombastic they were for being a
relatively new band. They killed it a
year ago and I could only imagine what all this touring had done to hone their
stage experience.
Thursday's show was all ages so I expected to see a lot of
the younger set at the gig. I'd say
there was almost a 50/50 split. I do believe
some parents brought their teens to the show and then hung out in the bar area
as well to watch.
After a brief changeover from the opening bands (Amsterdam
from Seattle were quite good and Next To None showed their prowess on their
instruments), Sydney (vocals/guitar) asked the crowd to come close to hear her
secret. After the crowd obliged, she
screamed, "we are Doll Skin and we're ready to rock" (or something
close to that).
The band played many tunes off, "Manic Pixie Dream
Girl", including single "Shut Up". Bopping, jumping, and headbanging all around
the stage, Doll Skin are like a precision missile on stage these days. Alex (guitar), Nicole (bass), and Meghan
(drums) are really coming into their own.
The new songs are well written and their live performance has
strengthened and improved (and they were already good to begin with) since last
year.
It was interesting to watch some of the younger fans in the
audience. You could see that look on
their faces of pure bliss watching one of their favorite bands. I also believe that Doll Skin is showing
young ladies in general that you can do whatever it is that you want to in
life. They are role models at such a young
age but it would not surprise me to see more and more young rock/punk bands in
the next five years or so that sight Doll Skin as an influence.
From start to finish the performance was so worth the price
of admission. I would of liked to have
heard, "Furious Fixation" but that's just a minor quibble. I still can't get parts of certain songs out of
my head - they're so catchy!
An idea popped into my head while at the show as well. Doll Skin were marketing themselves last year
with different hair color for each member.
I think they should take that a step or two further. Much like the Beatles and KISS back in the
day, I think the band should consider emphasizing the "four of them equals
one" idea.
For starters, live, they could pick one song that each of
the band members sings a bit of lead on.
They all sing background vocals so this isn't much of a stretch. Take "Family Of Strangers" and have
each member sing a line from a verse, or two lines, or whatever feels
natural. I think the fans would love it
and I think it would bring a new aspect to the band.
If the idea really starts to grow, then have each member
eventually sing their own song - like Ace Frehley was known for "Shock
Me" and Peter Criss "Beth", there could be a song that is
Nicole's, one that is Alex's, one that is Meghan's, etc.
Marketing could follow suit - release different cover art
for, say, a single that has each member on a different cover (all for the same
single). The ideas are really
endless. Just a random thought. Maybe the band will kick it around and try it
out in the live setting first. Again,
that would be the easiest place to give it a go.
Doll Skin bring it, plain and simple. Wherever you are, when they come to town, go
out and support them. After the show,
for whatever reason, if you didn't like it, then you can tell me to "shut
up".
Cheers!
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts
Special Thanks:
Shauna for the credentials!
Other Notes: I was
scheduled to do an interview with the band before the show but due to
scheduling issues, I couldn't get to the venue during the allotted 6pm
time. Hopefully, next time they come
through town I can sit down with the band and pick their brains a bit.
Other Other Notes:
I've been listening to the new album for the last week. Even though I liked it before I saw the gig,
I really like it that much more now.
Punchy production, great songs, and there's an air of that punk vibe
that comes through that I really enjoy.
The balance between the songs, the production, and the performances,
really make this one of the best albums of 2017.
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