Bear Hands/Screaming Females @ Mercury Lounge, October 21, 2009

Though their frontman violated the all-important No Shorts Onstage rule, Brooklyn’s Bear Hands played a solid set of precise, gruff post-punk that filled the Mercury Lounge with tough riffs and tense grooves.

Their might be buzzier and more fashionable new bands than Brunswick’s Screaming Females, but there’s not many as good. And they’re certainly a sight to see. Based on all available evidence diminutive frontwoman Marissa Paternoster seemingly owns one outfit, a Sgt. Peppers like red coat that might be starting to smell. And bassist Michael Abbate is nearly twice her size; one worries that he’s one spilled beer away from slipping and ending a promising group’s career in one fall.

All kidding aside, it seems like nothing could stop this group at this point. Playing raw, stoner-friendly classic rock with gleeful punk vigor, the Screaming Females throw one chaotically precise anthem after another, and Paternoster is just a beast on guitar. Seriously, the guitar leads towards the middle of their midnight set were just scandalously dirty, though they still couldn’t steal the spotlight from her impassioned, mile high wail.  

http://www.myspace.com/bearhandsband

http://screamingfemales.com/

-Michael Tedder

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