The Belasco Los Angeles, CA
Contact: [email protected]
Players: Dani Miller, vocals; Sean Powell, drums; Bee Wright, guitar; Adam Laidlaw, guitar
Material: Brooklyn punks Surfbort recently opened for Keith Morris’s OFF!, the erstwhile Circle Jerk and former Black Flag man putting another of his bands on a well-earned hiatus. It could have been overwheling, but Surfbort approached the gig with a level of side-eyed contempt and 'tude-riddled fury rarely seen in a support.
Dani Miller formed the band and named it after a line in a Beyoncé song, they've worked on a Gucci campaign, and they've written with Linda Perry. That's a lot of check marks in their favor already. And boy, did they impress with a punk set just brimming with aggressively uncompromising, angry and really very fun tunes.
Musicianship: Opening with a manic "Hot Chix," the band swiftly moves into "Pretty Little Fucker." A cover of the Hollywood Squares' "Hillside Strangler" is a nice touch in L.A., though their own "Lot Lizard 93" is better. Miller’s voice is perfect for this sort of stuff. She simultaneously looks like she wants to tear everyone’s faces off, and like she couldn’t give a fuck about anyone.
That appropriate punk attitude carries into the music, with Miller conveying every nuance of wit, cynicism and nihilism with unrestrained joy and no small amount of fury. The rest of the band are equally adept of doing exact what is required of them to make these song soar, despite the fact that they were missing their bass player for this show. It’s punk—there’s no need for proggy flourishes. But these guys are no slouches either and they, as much as the vocalists, make these songs sing.
Performance: This is where they excel. Miller is the consummate punk rock frontwoman; a glorious blend of Wendy O’Williams, Dinah Sander and Siouxsie. There’s the slightest hint of contempt in her smile, in all of the right ways. Like, “Screw all of this.” But then she also appears to be having a blast, as do her bandmates. It’s the sort of artistic schizophrenia that breeds great art.
Summary: New punk bands spring up all the time; enthusiastic and hungry musicians who have learned just enough about their instruments to pen a decent, attention-grabbing song. The key is to have a little bit extra. In the case of Surfbort, the Ingredient X isn’t only Miller’s astute delivery and performance, but also the fact that her band can stir a pot and turn the contents into something surprising. There’s so much to love here, and one senses that they’re only just getting started. Ones to watch for sure.
