words by Andrew Frisicano

Big Freedia & friends @ Wrongbar in Toronto for NXNE - June 18, 2010

"So what the hell is Sissy Bounce? Sort of depends who you ask. Katey Red, arguably the creator of the genre, suggests it doesn't even exist and instead insists it's just sissies producing Bounce. Other artists such as Big Freedia fully embrace the term. Take some of the most hypersexual, bump and grind you can imagine, remove everything but the sexed up chorus, speed it up, and then remove the sexual identity of the artist performing it. What, what? That's right. Sissy Bounce artists are purposely androgynous, sometimes referred to as queer, sometimes transgendered, a very direct intent is to fuck with people's heads about sexuality. It's easy to relate, or be offended when you see one sex singing about the other. But with Sissy Bounce you have no idea. This makes the performances just as important as the music itself, which is perhaps why it's stayed locked down for so long." [Sean Bonner]

From the pictures above and below, maybe you can tell that Big Freedia's Friday night set at Toronto's Wrongbar (as part of NXNE) was a crowd pleaser. Big Freedia, DJ Rusty Lazer and a pair of dancers held a master class on ass-shaking dance moves and a good portion of the crowd was happy to oblige, especially for the infectious bounce of songs like "Azz Everywhere" and "Rock Around the Clock." Freedia went from a tender acapella verse about settling down to a song with the hook "I got that gin in my system, somebody's gonna be my victim." The spectacle was one thing, but it was ultimately the songs, rumbling party mantras, that made it a great set.

The next night Big Freedia brought her act to the city's Yonge-Dundas Square (a free, very public stage surrounded by stores and restaurants )- it looks like they played there with considerably more clothes on. Still, Damian Abraham tweeted: "Big Freedia's performance in Dundas Square today made the Stooges show (which was amazing) look like a Peter, Paul and Mary Concert." (btw, our pics from the Stooges show he's referring to are coming soon).

Big Freedia and crew (that includes Freedia's DJ Rusty Lazer) will be back in Brooklyn for a Thursday night set at CrushFest at Public Assembly. The lineup for the June 24th show, which is part of Northside, also includes Yes Giantess, Fang Island, Iran, MillionYoung, Dinosaur Feathers, Anton Glamb, LE1F, Jason Pants & Chaz Requina (Palms Out Sounds), Denny Le Nimh and No Surrender. Tickets are only $5.00 until 3pm today (6/22) - then the price goes back up to $15. You can also try to get in with your Northside Badge.

More pictures from Toronto, a flyer for the Public Assembly show and a video from a Big Freedia show at Glasslands are all below...

Continue reading "Big Freedia played NXNE (NSFW pics), playing Crush Fest in Brooklyn w/ Yes Giantess, Fang Island, others (tix on sale) "

DOWNLOAD: Yes Giantess - I'm Not Your Toy (La Roux cover) (MP3)

photos by Tim Griffin

La Roux, with a healthier Elly Jackson than at their October NYC show, played Webster Hall on February 11th with opener Yes Giantess, who play Brooklyn Bowl on Feb 26th and SXSW in March (and who cover La Roux's "I'm Not Your Toy," above).

In a gold-threaded blazer, her recognizable Jimmy Neutron dollop 'do perched prominently atop her head, Eleanor Jackson, one half of British electro-pop duo La Roux, stole the show at Webster Hall Thursday night. Her better half, Ben Langmaid, forgoes touring, favoring anonymity to the limelight.

Jackson, however, managed nicely on her own. An icon in training without the painfully obvious obsession with fame, Jackson's performances come with the same hubris and bite that shines through in her interviews, and her lyrics about lost love and heart break are captivating and candid. The set list included may of her post-heartbreak ballads, including "I'm Not Your Toy," "Quicksand," "In For The Kill," and, perhaps most moving, "Cover My Eyes," a sad one about seeing the one you love with someone else.

Jackson's most famous love song, the badass anthem "Bulletproof," served as the set's encore. In deference to a song about putting on emotional armor, Jackson skipped out in a heavily shoulder-padded leather jacket with gold detailing, revving up the evening another notch with this gem of a final act. Lights strobed as she marched in place, reaching out to touch the hands of fans as the words "La Roux" flashed behind her in succession throughout this closing scene. [Papermag]

La Roux is scheduled to be at Coachella and some of the TBA dates of Lilith Fair.

More pictures of the show, a set list (which included Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb") and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "La Roux & Yes Giantess played Webster Hall - pics & setlist"

We'll get a more complete press release in the morning (and confirm what is listed below is 100% correct), but in the meantime below is a picture of the 2010 Sasquatch poster (that someone Tweeted) and the lineup as read by Bradford Cox at tonight's Atlas Sound show in Seattle (and being listed all over the Internet)....

Continue reading "Sasquatch announces 2010 lineup (includes Massive Attack & My Morning Jacket) (and many more) "

photos by Chris La Putt

ClickMusic: You've received a lot of critical acclaim with your debut album. But with the advent of the internet, it seems that any artist is never far away from criticism. How important is that criticism to you?

Little Boots: There's not many people that I trust for criticism, so... You know, most people on the internet, there's, like, ten year old kids and, like, middle America, who'll log onto YouTube and say that you're fat and ugly and can't sing for shit. And it's just, you know... I mean, I take criticism from my colleagues and friends and, you know, people who are close to me... and people who are talented. It's stupid to let that affect...

Little Boots headlined a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC last week (and earlier the same night she performed a surprise set at Perez's show at Irving Plaza). More pictures from the Bowery show below...

Continue reading "Little Boots, Plastiscines & Yes Giantess @ Bowery Ballroom in NYC - pics "

DOWNLOAD: Little Boots - "Earthquake" (Yes Giantess remix) (MP3)

Little Boots' Tenori-On @ LPR (more by Chris La Putt)

Little Boots is in town to play a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom tonight (9/16) with Plasticines and Yes Giantess. The latter is responsible for the remix you can download on top of this post. The show goes right up against the Perez Hilton tour stop which is happening not that far away at Irving Plaza.

Thanks to a tip by Renaldo, I called Irving Plaza. In addition to a recording saying the show wasn't sold out, it listed these set times:

8:00 doors
9:00 Frankmusic
9:30 Little Boots
10:00 Semi Precious Weapons
10:45 Ida Maria
11:45 Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke also played the Apple Store yesterday. All Little Boots dates below...

Continue reading "Little Boots is here (tour dates) -- playing Irving Plaza too? "