The 80’s. It’s a state of mind, from big hair and leg warmers to Atari football. You know the one where you could run through the screen and come out the other side, thus running around the entire world to sack the quarterback, good times. With the retro flair of John Hughes films and Lacoste polo’s, the rock and roll was sure to follow and it has in a big way. From the Bravery to Bloc Party to the Killers the “Me” decade is alive and selling in the music world. Enter a new contender for the retro title, the Lolita Bras.
Pianos, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, has hosted a January residency each year to showcase up and coming talent. Last year’s resident band was Clap Hands Say Yeah!, and now they are cooler than Long Duk Dong. The Lolita Bras hope to follow with more standard songs and wide spread pop appeal. During the last night of their residency the band played to a packed house which included many repeat customers.
Hitting the stage in stride the Bras, Patrick Harmon Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard • Hugh Crickmore Lead Guitar, Vocals • Paul Frick Drums • Erica D’Andrea Gray Bass, commanded attention from the outset. The Lolita Bras music leaves space for each member to breathe, uncluttered and focused. Exhuming a sound parallel to the Smiths on Xanax, the Lolita Bras cruise with thoughtful lyrics that belies the darker tone of the instruments. Harmon’s smile makes it a sunny day, because feeling sorry for yourself is bad for your complexion. One surprising aspect to the lyrics is that not one hook sunk its poppy teeth into my memory post show.
The music did stick with me and my personal highlight of the night was a track off the bands first EP. The song was “In Your Love,” in which D’Andrea plugged, fantastic bass fills and Frick’s drumming pounded the walls the way Ogre pounds Nerds. The tune of “Her Own Conversation” received the best crowd response along with an interesting Sid Barrett cover. During “Her Own Conversation” Harmon traded his guitar for a McCartney style Hofner bass, plucking furiously and trading runs with Crickmore gleefully.
Hopefully the band pushes more of their strong songwriting and musicianship, and less of the gimmicks like the heavy microphone delay, and Members-Only jackets. The Lolita Bras clearly have the talent and have now crafted a solid fan base. It’s only a matter of time before the Jake Ryan’s of the world take notice.
