The Pretty Reckless Concert Review

It was funny to hear the singer for Adelitas Way talk about how impressed he was with Austin’s rock crowd, dispelling the rumors and naysayers he’s heard about it not being a (hard) rock town. Granted, some of the bigger market shows bypass Austin on the road, but it’s ridiculous to think that Austin is not a rocker’s town. At least now he knows it is (all styles are embraced here, though certain road shows brand Austin a certain type and size of market, so some of the X-Alternative/Aggressive radio metal tour packages hit the Dallas, Houston, maybe San Antonio markets and then head to Denver, New Orleans, Albuquerque or parts beyond).

His band put on a tight little show that wasn’t too little at all. They were able to seemingly squeeze and hour’s worth of tunes in, rocking the audience with recognizable sing-alongs like  “Dog on a Leash,” “Sick” and”Invincible,” — the last two of which they finished their set with, going from high note to high note and leaving the audience wanting more yet satisfied.

The Pretty Reckless came on after a decent wait. You know that time when all the guitars appear tuned, picks are taped to mic stands, towels and water are dispersed throughout the stage and you think, “Yes! As soon as this next song fades out, that’s it — the band will come on. And then “Back in Black” comes on … and then another. And then another. Sitting down in the photo pit I thought this thing would never start, but at last they came on and frontwoman, eye candy and center of attention Taylor Momsen brought it with style and attitude.

Not afraid of her feminism, she flaunts it, she rocks like a tough kid and her voice fills up the room. She’s got quite the unique, brashy yet muscle-strong voice. When the band launches into “Follow Me Down,” they pick up the entire room with a big, phat groove that’s part King’s X, part Black Sabbath and ten parts power. The melody is fantastic and it returns to a refrain of a chorus that turns into a whisper with the distortion dropped out and then again with the full band and full throat. It’s ten times gospel music, too. It’s got that soul, though the lyrics might come from a decidedly different attitude. This could be one of those fascinating bands that takes spirituality in a “running from God” approach that’s defiant and, ironically, one of self-condemnation (the culmination of which climaxes with the big rock radio single (and chant-along-able) “Heaven Knows” and “Going to Hell.”

The guitar player, Ben Phillips, is a huge part of the band’s sound, which is very bluesy and Zeppelinesque. He mostly plays a hollow-body electric that provides a lot of ambiance and feedback. He’s got a hella-voice, too, and when he’s providing a fairly high-end harmony, it can get confusing on who’s singing what part. They blend together well. He’s definitely as talented as his front person. The three piece (drums, bass, guitar) make a lot of noise together. It’s quite impressive. The band should really consider covering an early Zeppelin tune. With their in-the-pocket low end and Momsen’s banshee voice, they could really tear up “You Shook Me” or “Communication Breakdown.”

This girl is a rock hero, no doubt inspiring lots of women to stand up and go for it. She delivers the vocal goods in a big way and her band is totally up for the task. There wasn’t a lot of interaction beyond the typical crowd/band expected banter and she prances and strikes strong poses (you know the type — head tilted back, long hair flowing backwards) with mega flashing lights and strobes. She doesn’t shy from her role as ear candy or eye candy. Phillips explained why we might’ve seen an energy-subdued version of Momsen right before the last encore. Turns out she was rocking out with a 101-degree fever. Gotta hand it to her. She put like a pro.

The band rocked out for one last tune, which they call “Messed Up World” for radio airplay on the airwaves, but not in hot, sweaty clubs.