Photos by Philip Cosores
Before going into Wild Flag’s show on Thursday night, I think almost everyone knew what to expect. The combined experience that these women have amassed over their years as parts of other bands meant that we were guaranteed a professional show – we knew they’d be tight, we knew they’d be polite, and we knew it would be enjoyable. But, the level of enjoyment hinges on several other things that don’t just come from watching gifted and experienced performers, there are tacit elements that turn a proficient and impressive rock performance into one that’s a spectacle for everyone in the audience. It’s hard to put your finger on it, it’s something as little as the way the band members move while playing, the shared conversations onstage, or the way the band seems to know exactly how to squeeze the most out of every single guitar strum, drum hit, piano press, or voice inflection.
Opening band Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives have a chemistry that is comparable to Wild Flag’s. The band seemed entirely in sync as they traversed multiple different styles in their performance. From the opening, stripped down number that saw all four members bellowing into their microphones in unison, to more traditional rocking moments, to Gaslight Anthem-esque gospel-tinged songs; the band followed their leader Andrew Grow closely. Grow was clearly the kind of person who bears his emotions in plain sight, especially in a live performance. The band leaned quite heavily on the gang screamed vocals to convey an emotional moment, and their final song which lasted about ten minutes, and saw Grow hunched theatrically over his microphone for the final few, got a little tiring for a band that were, after all, just the openers. However, ambition is generally a good thing and Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives clearly have plenty of it.
While many people see Carrie Brownstein as the de facto leader of Wild Flag, she actually shares lead vocal duties with Mary Timony, who took the lead for the opening two songs “Black Tiles” and “Electric Band.” But with Brownstein-led third song “Boom,” the set exploded. The song, probably the most energetic in their thin catalogue, got everyone moving, Brownstein’s punkish vocals and Rebecca Cole’s stabbing piano acting like the strings of the puppets that were the audience.
From there it was one of the most genuine rock’n’roll shows I have ever seen, with each member oozing confidence in their performance, but none more so than Brownstein. Whether she was doing high-kicks to emphasise a riff, having a guitar play off with Timony in the middle of the stage, or simply standing back, strumming and showing some natural Prince-like pomp, she was a joy to behold. Elsewhere, watching Cole and drummer Janet Weiss grin wildly as they sung backup vocals like the simple “lalalala”s on “Something Came Over Me” was hugely satisfying, and seeing Timony stamp her foot up and down on her monitors was also a nice little moment.
Wild Flag only has one album with ten songs; an amount that was clearly not going to satisfy neither the audience nor the band, so they did plenty to extend their set. They offered up a couple of new songs, which seem just as heavy-yet-catchy as anything on Wild Flag, and they closed their set with an extremely extended version of “Racehorse.” The song, which is already by far the longest on the album, was extended well beyond ten minutes, with a full on jam section which saw Timony sitting on the floor while playing, Cole freestyling on keys, and Brownstein holding her guitar vertically by the neck with one hand and bashing and strumming it wildly. This was all held together by Janet Weiss’ perfect drumming. It was extremely exciting to see the band that has created a set of pop songs that are so precise and tight let loose and go off the rails a little, but still hold it together to bring it back around for the conclusion of the song.
Following that grandstand performance there was no real need for them to come back for an encore, but I don’t think anyone had any intention of leaving yet. Wild Flag returned to play a trio of covers, starting with a blistering version of Television’s “See No Evil,” which saw Timony getting her chance to give a great punk rock vocal performance. The band then introduced a very special guest, label mate, friend, and Fiery Furnaces singer Eleanor Friedberger to the stage for the final two songs. Friedberger shared lead vocal duties with Timony for a rendition of The Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden,” which got everyone onstage fairly animated, and before they were done they even covered Bobby Freeman’s “Do You Wanna Dance?” (although, clearly, it was much closer to The Ramones’ version) leaving the night on a light hearted note.
It’s clear that Wild Flag is a band that is not only filled with musical history, brought to the table by each of the members, but is also reverent of all the great rock music that has come before them. Every time they play live they are paying homage to their influences, not just in the covers, but with the spirit with which they perform their own songs. It’s also probably the reason why they decided to play twice at a small club venue that’s steeped in history than one twice the size that’s less personable. It is why a Wild Flag performance is, ultimately, just four women rocking out and kicking ass, but seems like so much more.
