Deap Vally (sp) sold out the Troubadour in West Hollywood Tuesday night, and they looked every bit the part of a headliner. They have only released a 4-song EP Get Deap but have already opened for Muse, sold out the Troubadour, and are opening for Queens of the Stone Age on the upcoming Canadian leg of their tour. These blues rock sirens are a little destruction, a little salvation, and a lot of temptation. Lindsey Troy (guitar, vocals) and Julie Edwards (drums, vocals) are from LA so Tuesday night was a homecoming for them, and the only LA tour date on calendar, so the crowd was full of family, friends, and industry folk trying to get a glimpse of these girls while they are still contained to club shows.
The Deap Vally girls took the stage looking like 70’s rockers with high-waisted shorts, wild hair, and Bowie-esque white tops. And these girls can really rock. Troy’s voice has the raw passion and emotion of Janis Joplin or Jack White, and should be served with a shot of whiskey. Edwards’ is the perfect complement, but just as wild, driving every song with an incendiary explosion of drumsticks, bass beats, and fiery red hair.
The girls didn’t waste much time getting the party started. After setting the table with two quick opening songs they broke into their newest single “Bad for My Body” which kicked the concert into gear and set the tone for the show – the tone being that they’ll do whatever the heck they want. It was followed up quickly by another catchy rock single “Gonna Make My Own Money.”
Listen to Deap Vally’s “Bad For My Body”:
During their sixth song, “Raw Material,” they brought a friend and apartment host (Troy lived with her while back in LA during the tour) Lauren in to play drums, also looking like a fabulous rocker from a Steel Panther show. It was a great gesture to a friend who literally gave them shelter while the band tried to get off the ground (and Lauren definitely held her own).
Troy then showed her fangs on “Lies” where she rails against a cheating lover – “You’ve got no spine” and, later, “you’re gonna pay ten-fold, you’re going to be alone when you grow old.” And of course they appropriately followed up that song with “Creeplife” which is about, well, creeps.
Deap Vally at their SOLD OUT show @ the Troubadour in West Hollywood
Then came a song “for the ladies” (Troy’s words), their homage to the morning after called “Walk of Shame”. She stopped the crowd and had everyone sing along, “I’m gonna take a walk of pride, I’ve got sunshine in my stride.” Troy forgot the words halfway through and mumbled instead, and Edwards playfully echoed the same incoherent mumbling, having fun onstage even after a mistake. And why not have fun?! They’re opening for QOTSA and sold out the Troubadour, life is damn good.
They played a ten song set plus three encores – pretty much every song they have! – finishing the first set with “End of the World” and wrapping up the encore with their voodoo dirge “Six Feet Under/Spiritual”.
It was a sold-out bad ass rock and roll set that would make LA proud, and there is enough talent, image, and attitude for these girls to be great. And what was most impressive was that in their hometown, after finishing up major festival gigs and with what appeared to be all of Interscope watching, they were humble and expressed tremendous gratitude for those people that helped them along the way.
“It’s amazing to be here tonight and to sell out the Troubadour. It’s crazy. I guess it’s more real when it’s your hometown,” Troy told the crowd mid-set, appearing genuinely appreciative and almost overwhelmed (though it didn’t show in their music) by the hometown support and their recent success. Throughout the show Troy took time to thank everyone from her Dad to their sound guy. She even thanked her friend who let her and her Dad crash at his apartment the night before, explaining that while on tour all she owns is a storage unit “and it’s not very comfortable.” For two girls that sing bad-ass blues-laden rock songs about doing bad things, their gratitude was extremely endearing.
Are they bad girls that do bad things? Are they good girls that love their Dads? It doesn’t matter one bit. All I know is that they can melt your face off with rock and roll! And this wasn’t the last time they will sell out the Troubadour.
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