L7 were a favourite live band in the 90s, the best of the Riot Grrrrl bands, they had the greatest songs and were definitely the most subversive. So, when they announced a one-off gig in London to celebrate the 30th release of Bricks Are Heavy, we agreed to head to the Big Smoke to catch a seminal outfit from our youth. This was the third gig featuring bands whose main success came in the 1990s, and after meeting up with friends we headed over to the Electric Ballroom in Camden.
It’s a reasonably small venue, and the audience is a real mix of ages, lots of younger people dressed in appropriate Riot Girl style, balanced by several fans in the older age brackets, carrying the baton into their 50s and beyond.
After an entertaining set from London based all-girl British punk / new wave band support band The Priscillas, the packed crowd were already working their way into a frenzy. Expectations were high as L7 featured three original members of the line-up: Donita Sparks (lead vocals / guitar), Suzi Garner (guitar, vocals), Jennifer Finch (bass / vocals) as well as long-time drummer Danetra Plakas. Finally, the lights go down, the band hits the stage, and the opening bars of Wargasm fill the room. This instantly takes me back 30 years to watching them in a tiny venue in Manchester. The crowd explodes into chaos immediately, pushed in like sardines but drowning out Donita by singing every word. It’s euphoric. Playing an album in its entirety is a great idea, especially one like Bricks. Fans know every note and can sing their hearts out.
Next up, Scrap still sounds great.
Donita threatens us not leave as they start up Pretend We’re Dead, the defining song of their career, as if anybody would. The band are fierce, still filled with the spit and venom they always had. Diet Pill and one of my favourites Everglade follows another song with as much relevance today as it had 30 years ago. The band strut and make all the shapes, fully committing to the mesmerised audience. Slide, and More Time follow, before L7 notch it up another level with three massive songs, Mr. Integrity, Monster and everyone’s favourite Shitlist; the crowd is deafening. The album is wound up with the sublime This Ain’t Pleasure. This is only the first part the set which continues with songs from across their back catalogue, including Andres and Fuel My Fire, the latter famously covered by The Prodigy. They still sound angry, and the band spit out the lyrics with much reciprocation from the crowd who are still totally engaged.
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Stadium West and Non-existent Patricia follow before Freak Magnet brings the roof down. A few more songs are played before Shove, my highlight of the evening knocks it out the park. The audience goes bonkers. Dispatch From Mar-a-Lago closes the main set before the encore of Scatter the Rats and Fast and Frightening close the evening’s entertainment in magnificent style.
L7 show tonight that if you have the songs and you still believe in the message, you can still blow an audience’s mind after 30 years. They said they would be back, if they do return, do yourself a favour and go and see them. You will not regret it.
Photos taken from the L7 Facebook page at L7 - Facebook and by John Caffrey
Review by John Caffrey
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