By Dave Miller

Teri Gender Bender worked herself into such frenzy during Friday's Le Butcherettes show at Subterranean that she almost took "I'm Getting Sick of You" literally. By the end of the song, Bender wobbled near the edge of the stage in a temporary daze. She appeared on the verge of throwing up a couple times, but fought back the urge while taking a few seconds to regain her bearings.

It was the only break Bender took during an awe-inspiring performance. After a sip of water, she passed the bottle to a fan and returned to playing a breathless show that challenged the standard expectation of a concert performer. Bender threw her mind and body into a mesmerizing display of self-expression in the moment. She danced manically in place, raised her foot on her keyboard as she played, dropped into the splits, kneeled in front of the drum kit, laid across the stage, fell backwards in the crowd, walked among the fans on the floor, and performed acrobatics while hanging from the light rack across the back of the stage.

Bender conjured up images of Patti Smith's mojo, Iggy Pop's physicality and PJ Harvey's dark drama. She has some Wendy O. Williams' shock in her, too. During the beginning of the set's fourth song, "New York," Bender stood with her legs apart and urinated through her tights on the stage as she played her guitar. "The air beneath my legs makes you suffocate," Bender sang. "The tongue between your mouth makes me wanna rinse it out." The action shocked in its surprise and crudeness, but not as much as you'd think. By then, Bender had made it clear that she was exposing her inner self with no inhibitions, and bringing the audience along for the ride as she instinctively marked her raw territory.

To be clear, this was no freak show. This was a passionate performer in the present unselfconsciously and unabashedly exploring her art. Bender has played with a variety of musicians since forming her Mexican garage punk band in 2007 in Guadalajara. Drummer Lia Braswell kept up with Bender's exploring energy and bassist Omar Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta added darkness to the music while standing calmly in the backround. Lopez produced Le Butcherettes' 2011 debut LP, Sin Sin Sin, which saw 10 of its songs aired in the 13-song setlist. Bender's rollercoaster vocals ranged from high screams to low growls with a commanding, dramatic rock voice in between the extremes. Bender's demeanor between songs was in contrast to her preformance. Looking barely old enough to get into the club, the fresh-faced rocker politely thanked the audience, often bowing and putting her hands together as if praying. When a fan repeated bowed to her in admiration, she did the same back. While she sang in English, sometimes she spoke in Spanish.

Le Butcherettes reportedly stole the show from bigger-name acts at Lollapalooza last year and it's easy to see why. Presumably, Bender's upped the ante of her performance because now it looks like she's at the point where it'll be difficult for her to top herself. On this night, Bender and the band left the stage after just under an hour and did not return for an encore. Nor did a wide-eyed crowed clamor for one. Bender had already left everything on the stage.