| ------------- | Concert Review
Those Darlins February 11, 2010 @ Schubas XBy Dave MillerZo
They must make good parts in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where the band calls home, because Nikki, Kelley and Jessi Darlin tore up the stage and rocked a sold-out crowd. Think a countrified, female version of the Ramones on an all-night bender of moonshine and speed. They ripped through 20 songs with country sass and a dose of punk attitude in a little more than an hour. Nikki plays, of all things, baritone ukelele, Kelley handles the bass and Jessi jams on the guitar. All sing. Instruments were passed and shared like a bottle of whiskey. After serving as an opening band for various artists, Those Darlins are now headlining. They've dubbed this the Excuse To Have Fun Tour, and they definitely gave that to their fans. Wearing dresses and cowboy boots (or in Jessi's case, white Converse hi-tops) and sporting tattoos along with such accessories as feathers and a raccoon tail, Those Darlins dressed the part of good-time girls. That elicited some aggressive comments by some males in the crowd, but drummer Linwood Regensberg had the girls' backs. He countered the early catcalls with challenging comebacks, and that went a long way toward keeping the crowd in check. Regensberg kept a chugging country rhythm on track throughout the night. Kelley's playing was the glue that held the band together when it strayed off country's path into pop, rock and punk. Many of the songs from the group's self-titled debut album sound like classic country on the recording, but they veer more into the physicality of rock when played live. Highlights included "Wild One," "Who's That Knockin' At My Window?" and "Red Light Love." Some songs are pure amplified country, but some like "Snaggle Tooth Mama" come close to parodying the genre. I much preferred the originality of the jaunty "DUI or DIE." Those Darlins are already playing new songs so a second album looks well on the way. They also threw in two covers during the second half of the set. The first was "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" by The Velvet Underground. The second took off following the rocking "Red Light Love." They turned to The Who's Live at Leeds for "Shakin' All Over," which Nikki used to take the show to higher ground. Putting her ukelele down, Nikki belted out the lyrics, referenced Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," straddled a monitor, manuevered in tight quarters to the lip of the stage, then ventured into the crowd to dance with birthday boy Velcro Lewis, whose group opened the three-band bill. Nikki made her way back to the stage, took a swig of beer and spewed a big spray into the crowd. That closed the main set. Those Darlins played a three-song encore that continued the fun, but it turned out to be superfluous coming after the thrilling set closer. That, Nashville, is rock and roll. The setlist (as best as I could cobble together after the show - let me know if you have any corrections): Wild One Snaggle Tooth Mama Mama's Heart $ Who's That Knockin' At My Window? Happy Birthday (for Velcro Lewis) Ringy* 222 Cannonball Blues DUI or DIE Cactus* Lonesome Cowboy Bill BUMD Hang On* Prank Call* Red Light Love Shakin' All Over -------------------------- juggin* (instrumental) The Whole Damn Thing Funstix Party *as written on Jessi's stage setlist Start: 11:08 p.m./Finish: 12:21 p.m. Totals: 20 songs, one hour and 13 minutes
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