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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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By Dave Miller

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That didn't take long.

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Playing their third show since contracting to a trio, the Wanton Looks regained their swagger in a Saturday night headling show at 27 Live in Evanston. Lead singing bassist Traci Trouble, drummer Meg Thomas and guitarist Inga Olson were back to being their take-no-prisoners selves.

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It was the first chance local fans had to see the Wanton Looks play without rhythm guitarist Susie Winn aka Susie Q since she and the band parted ways near the end of last year. The group's first shows as a trio came in December in Kalamazoo and Detroit. That first one in Kalamazoo saw them understandably nervous and tentative in their new configuration. Well, that looks like ancient history after their return to form at the new venue.

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The Wanton Looks have seemingly settled on a new stage dynamic. The Kalamazoo concert saw Olson stationed on the left and Trouble on the right with Thomas and her kit set back in the middle. Olson and Trouble switched positions the next night in Detroit, and that's where they stayed in Evanston. Perhaps an even bigger issue for this show was how the band was going to handle playing on the club's large stage. It turned out the three musicians worked the considerable space so easily and naturally that the size of the stage actually wound up being an asset for them. Perhaps that should have been expected considering Trouble's larger-than-life personality, but Olson did her part, too, toward the band making the stage its own with a lead guitarist's assertiveness.

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A healthy crowd turned out to the spacious venue to catch the Wanton Looks and frequent bill buddies, the Handcuffs. Many concertgoers were seeing the bands for the first time. The Wanton Looks won them over early by hitting them with three of their best live songs, "Demons," "See You again" and "Worst Side of Me" in succession. If that didn't do it then the sentiment of the next song, "G.O.P. (Greedy Old Pigs)" did win over the enlightened Evanston gathering. "This song is for all the bleeding heart liberals out there," said Trouble before singing lyrics ripping Romney, Hannity, Limbaugh and the Koch brothers by name. These were the fierce-rocking Wanton Looks whether they were playing a particuarly aggressive "Forget You" or downright vicious "86 Me." On this night, their instrumental jams on the closers, the new "To Be Free" and fan favorite "Electromagnetic Force," spoke even louder than anything that was said.

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Fans of the band talked about the differences between its old and new lineup. Susie Q enabled the Looks to present a traditional two-guitar attack, and her tough playing and attitude, along with her backing vocals, are missed. While the band has lost a full guitar sound that two players offer, it has gained a heightened prominence of Olson's playing dexterity. And while the band has seen its strength-in-numbers power diminished, the fact that it's now a trio sets it apart more from the rock pack. Trouble imagined the band as a trio when she started to form it with Thomas. Her original vision is now coming into focus.

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The Handcuffs also had a good night. I've never seen them have a bad show, but this one exceeded their usual standard.

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It can be easy to take the Handcuffs' excellence and devotion to giving a great performance for granted because of their consistency. I thought about that when I was compiling my top concert list for 2012. The glam rockers deservedly received a mention, which, especially considering the company, was no small thing. However, I was disappointed that I couldn't peg them even higher because they always put on a good show. Like any good band, they're greater than the sum of their parts. Mastermind drummer Brad Elvis and his muse, singer Chloe F. Orwell, along with guitarist Ellis Clark, bassist Emily Togni and keyboardist Alison Hinderliter have a cool chemistry between them.

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However, when I decided on the top 10 concerts, I realized that all of them featured that little something or, in some bases, a lot extra. I wondered how the Handcuffs could approach that level. I speculated, half-jokingly, but half-seriously, too, that they could try a shot and a beer before the show and see what happens. (Or adding another round if they already down some lubrication.) My thought was that maybe a little more looseness would serve the impressively tight band well.

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Damn if the Handcuffs weren't a little looser this time. The symbolic image of their spirited performance? Hinderliter -- holding a beer in one hand as she took her other hand off her swaying hip to hit the keys. Sounds inconsequential? I don't think so. It was indicative of an added looseness that raised the band's normally high performance level. Orwell and Togni provided a double megaphone call to start "Can't Get The Girl (Without The Good Stuff Baby)." Hinderliter's keys and Clark's guitar lifted "Pretty Pretty." Togni's bass and Clark's guitar elevated "I'm Not Laughing." The set's highlight came when "Vinyl Isabella" morphed into "Lola," and the band knew it. At its conclusion, Orwell winked at Hinderliter, Togni smiled at Orwell, Elvis clapped and pointed at Clark. This was a band on top of its game. During a cover of Mott the Hoople's "All the Way from Memphis," the band shook the rafters so hard that dust fell to the stage, and Clark broke a string for good measure. It was that kind of night for the Handcuffs. Perhaps they should put what Hinderliter was drinking into their rider.

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The third star of the evening was the venue. 27 Live (which references the eerie list of musicians who died at that age -- Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Robert Johnson, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse) opened on New Year's Eve with a concert by the Bottle Rockets. It has a bright future if it continues to book such good bands. The plan is to feature local and national acts. The sizeable stage can handle any group, and the sound and lights were top-notch. Music fans came out in impressive numbers with palpable enthusiasm to support the quality double bill, which doesn't always happen elsewhere. The spacious venue is so new that its upper level wasn't open yet, but the place has all the makings to become a prime concert destination.

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The Wanton Looks setlist:

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Demons

See You Again

Worst Side of Me

G.O.P. (Greedy Old Pigs)

Get Thru To You

86 Me

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Forget You

All I Want Is You

Cut Off

This Night Alone

Neverending

To Be Free

Electromagnetic Force

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Start: 10:44 p.m./Finish: 11:40 p.m.
Totals: 14 songs, 56 minutes

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The Handcuffs setlist:

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God is Sure One Funny Girl

Mickey 66

Miss You On Tuesday

I Just Wanna' Be Free, Man

Ooh, Baby Baby

First Class Bossa Nova

Can't Get The Girl (Without The Good Stuff Baby)

Pretty Pretty

I'm Not Laughing

Vinyl Isabella/Lola

Everybody Waves Hello

All the Way from Memphis

Dirty Glitter

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Start: 9:24 p.m./Finish: 10:20 p.m.
Totals: 14 songs, 56 minutes

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Photo Gallery

The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Wanton Looks

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ Live 27

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

 

The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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The Handcuffs

January 19, 2013 @ 27 Live

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