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By Dave Miller

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The Wanton Looks aren't a secret anymore.

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The local female quartet has been rocking in relative obscurity beyond the modest number of friends, family, underground rockers, and investigative music lovers who've witnessed the group's explosive live shows in numerous dive bars and the occasional club across the city since the band formed in 2009. The buzz about the band became much louder, almost instantaneously, heading into the official release of its long-awaited album at its Saturday concert at Schubas.

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A couple in-studio radio interviews and two glowing online reviews of its self-titled album were just the beginning of a big week for the band. WXRT played one of its songs (and subsequently another one), and Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot touted the CD-release show as the weekend's top concert. Not only did The Wanton Looks officially release their knockout of an album at the show, but they also premiered a video for the song "Electromagnetic Force."

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"Thanks a lot for coming out," Wanton Looks lead singer Traci Trouble told a sizeable crowd at the club. "This is a special night for us. A lot of years, a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this." Then came time to unveil the video. "Dim the lights," Trouble said, before quickly returning to the mic. "And crank the music!" The video screening played like a pep rally. Cheers, whoops and hollers erupted at different points. Fans were proud of the band's video, which features some interesting visual twists -- like the normally black-clad band members wearing white. It contained lots of stop motion. Perhaps the coolest part was seeing the picture divided into four vertical, black-and-white frames, each displaying a band member. You could envision that shown on a giant screen at an arena show. The performance shots were easily identifiable as being filmed at LiveWire Lounge.

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The band remained onstage to start its show. "Let's do this," Trouble announced, and off the band went. The 12-song album was played in sequence with the exception of the leadoff track, "Electromagnetic Force," being bumped to the end. Maybe due to nerves or excitement caused by the magnitude of the event, the band was uncharacteristically out of sync on the first couple songs. That didn't last long, however. It loosened up and found its footing, rocking hard and singing sweet harmonies on "Worst Side of Me." The band built on that momentum and ripped into "86 Me," taking off like a jet and soaring high late in the song. Two numbers later, the show reached its zenith with an atomic-bomb version of "Demons." Drummer Meg Thomas rumbled with rapid fire, guitarists Inga Olson and Susie Q responded in kind, and Trouble rode the shock waves with forceful vocals as her bass rampaged, hopping all the while in the sonic fallout of a glorious three minutes that would be the envy of any band. "Motherfucker!" an awed audience member exclaimed when the attack subsided.

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Susie Q flashed her guitar like a switchblade in "Used & Abused" after which the band passed around a flask offered by a fan. Shots from a glass were downed, too. That came into play when "Electromagnetic Force" completed the airing of the album. "Since we did shots we have to play something else," Susie Q said. "Cut Off," a promising start to the band's next album, followed. The audience wanted more and received "This Night Alone" to end the longest show in The Wanton Looks' burgeoning career.

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The Wanton Looks setlist:

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Get Thru To You

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Worst Side Of Me

86 Me

All I Want Is You

Demons

All Your Fault

Come On

Used & Abused

Forget You

Neverending

See You Again

Electromagnetic Force

Cut Off

This Night Alone

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Start: 12:07 a.m./Finish: 1:19 p.m.

Totals: 15 songs, one hour 12 minutes

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The Sonnets played their no-nonsense brand of rock led by namesake Vee Sonnets. His sturdy vocals nicely complemented his adept, aggressive playing of his 12-string Rickenbacker. Bassist Ellie Maybe added depth with her playing, backing vocals and presence. The trio's whiskey-fueled originals made a good case for themselves. An additional highlight was a cover of Question Mark and The Mysterians' "96 Tears." In his enthusiasm, Sonnets inadvertently gave the audience a cheap thrill when he mistakenly kicked over his amplifier while trying to fix a technical issue. Luckily, the accident didn't appear to cause any damage to the equipment.

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The Sonnets setlist:

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Slow Express

Do You Care

Halcyon Days

Onomatopoeia

Two Maroons

Say It

Ramparts

96 Tears

Imunna

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Start: 10:57 p.m./Finish: 11:29 p.m.

Totals: Nine songs, 32 minutes

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The Van Buren Boys came out firing during their energetic set. "Stay Away" and "Turn It Up Loud" proved to a blistering 1-2 opening punch. Technical difficulties caused the band to lose some of that considerable early mojo, but their passion won out.

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The Van Buren Boys setlist:

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Stay Away

Turn It Up Loud

Told You So

Crazy

Nothin' New

In The Street

Waiting To Die

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Start: 10:13 p.m./Finish: 10:36 p.m.

Totals: Seven songs, 23 minutes

Show poster

March 31, 2012 @ Schubas

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The Wanton Looks

March 25, 2012 @ Schubas

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The Wanton Looks

March 25, 2012 @ Schubas

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