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Live Review from Girls with Guitars 2:
Setlist:
1. Intro
2. Imaginary
3. Dancer in the Dark
4. Wild Rose Growing Inside Me
5. Angel of Grief
6. My Last Breath
7. Let the Flames Begin
That night’s guests from China were the last to perform – all dressed in black outfits that matched, their sound was a punchy one, mainly provided for by the guitar. Their set was rather different from the previous acts’, it being electric (for one), and sounding significantly more like bands from the Noughties. They mostly had a deep, somewhat menacing feel to them, with high-pitched vocals, and simple, short, yet emotive, runs on the keys. The singer overused the high part of her vocal range a bit, though – I would’ve liked to hear the variety added to the songs by using some of her lower range as well. She also took some brave chances with some very high notes indeed; some of which worked, but others would’ve been more suited to a deeper voice. Other than this small gripe, I had no more to complain about in their set, which was quite enjoyable; and I’m certain the (softly) headbanging, toe-tapping crowd would agree.
The guitar was heavy and gritty throughout, perhaps nowhere more so than in Imaginary, with its grinding quality and generously layered vocals. Dancer in the Dark showed a more 80s side to them, especially with the hair-metal solo. Angel of Grief was a mix of hard rock and metal that could’ve been composed by the lostprophets, and featured some fairly difficult vocal bits, carried off well by the singer. Their stage presence was a bit detached though (with the possible exception of the guitarist), and if they just fixed this, their songs’ delivery would improve tenfold. Having said that, they were in a different city, playing to an unfamiliar crowd, so they deserve the benefit of the doubt. Their closer was possibly their best song, with some impressive technical displays on all the instruments, again, with more of an 80s vibe. As its last strains died down, the booming applause that greeted them was confirmation that they had not failed to impress, and most importantly, entertain.
And so, the girls drifted off into the crowd, and I’m certain they realised that despite the unfavourable weather, they had definitely won the night.
– Shashwati
