Music

Concert review/photos: Julie Ruin and Screaming Females @ Asbury Lanes, NJ

A great tour ends at the ocean.

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Shellshag
Chris Sikich

Shellshag
Chris Sikich

Shellshag
Chris Sikich

Shellshag
Chris Sikich

Shellshag
Chris Sikich

Screaming Females
Chris Sikich

Screaming Females
Chris Sikich

Screaming Females
Chris Sikich

Screaming Females
Chris Sikich

Screaming Females
Chris Sikich

Screaming Females
Chris Sikich

Screaming Females
Chris Sikich

Screaming Females
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

Julie Ruin
Chris Sikich

[ 4/12 ] The powder-keg intensity of Marissa Paternoster’s shredding and the lyrical and vocal might of the magnetic Kathleen Hanna joined forces for a momentous show on Saturday. Asbury Lanes, a bowling alley and sometimes music venue only a few blocks from the Atlantic Ocean in Asbury Park, hosted the final show of The Julie Ruin and Screaming Females tour. What a way to go out.

Opening the night was Brooklyn duo Shellshag. Guitarist John “Shellhead” Driver and drummer Jennifer Shagawat brewed up a heavy dose of punk. Sporting an Iron Man shirt, Driver leaped into the air and broke down the fourth wall between performer and concert photographer, directly asking me and another shooter if we got certain shots. It was all in good fun and the band was having a blast, with Shagawat’s drumming expertise providing a visual feast.

Screaming Females were up next. Paternoster and her trusty six-string melded their sound with King Mike’s bass and Jarrett Dougherty’s drums for a set of ear-melting rock. Watching Paternoster contort her body and hands with her guitar is a joy unto itself, producing sounds of rage and ecstasy that are complemented by her guttural vocals. Screaming Females hail from New Brunswick and should be known far and wide for their mastery of punk, but alas they have not hit that point yet. Hopefully tours with high profile bands like The Julie Ruin will change that. It is mandatory for all music junkies to experience their visceral pleasures live.

The Julie Ruin then took the stage. Riot Grrrl, punk, pop and infectious joy flowed forth their 15-song set. Lead singer Hanna was quite engaging, dancing and providing frequent thoughts in between songs, like bonding with older audience members about Sinead O’Connor’s The Lion and the Cobra and explaining how she found her denim leotard on eBay. She and her bandmates — bassist Kathi Wilcox, guitarist Sara Landeau, keyboardist Kenny Mellman and drummer Carmine Covelli — threw perfect strikes all night. The highlights were the back-to-back pairing of “Girls Like Us” and “Oh Come On.” The former’s harmonizing and the latter’s angst demonstrate the best the band has to offer vocally. Hanna strikes a particular tone of glorious anger in “Oh Come On,” scream-singing, riling up an audience already moshing. (Paternoster even crowdsurfed during The Julie Ruin’s set). The night’s closing song, the title track from their debut album “Run Fast,” features a killer Landeau riff that carried the crowd out on a musical high. The sold-out Asbury Lanes was certainly bowled over and it will not be soon enough before we experience any of the bands again.

SETLIST

• V.G.I. (cover from Hanna’s Julie Ruin solo album)
• Lookout
• Breakout a Town (Julie Ruin cover)
• Kids in NY
• South Coast Plaza
• This is Not a Test (Bikini Kill cover)
• Just My Kind
• Radical or Pro-Parental (Julie Ruin cover)
• Girls Like Us
• Oh Come On
• Eau D’ Bedroom Dancing (Le Tigre cover)
• Goodnight Goodbye
• Cookie Rd.

ENCORE

• Run Fast

More reviews and photos by Chris Sikich:

• The Sounds @ Union Transfer
• The Stray Birds @ World Cafe Live
• Okkervil River/Typhoon @ Union Transfer
• Tinariwen @ Prince Music Theater
• Suzanne Vega @ Two Rivers Theater
• Drive-By Truckers @ World Cafe Live/The Queen
• Arcade Fire @ Wells Fargo Center
• Throwing Muses @ Bowery Ballroom (NYC)
• Paul Simon and Sting @ Wells Fargo Center
• Ex Hex @ the Ottobar (Baltimore)

PS: Chris Sikich has a Tumblr.