NAGLE KNOWS COLUMN: Even after five-year absence, fans still adore Bratmobile
By Jennifer Nagle
A&E Co-Editor
“Admit, innocent little girls turn you on, don’t they,” accused Bratmobile front woman, Allison Wolfe.
The small crowd replied with a chorus of screams when Bratmobile graced the Fireside Bowl November 1 with a saucy set seasoned with their old classics and sprinkled with new tunes from their most recent release, “Ladies, Women, and Girls.”
After a five-year absence from the punk scene Bratmobile has returned better then ever.For some audience members, this show was a dream come true, but only for some. The modest sized audience barely budged to dance and few sang along during the entire performance.
It was easy for some diehard fans to suspect that half the kids only showed up to see what all the hype was about. (Thanks for getting in my way.)
Preceded by The Dishes and the Lapse, the ladies of Bratmobile didn’t take the stage until midnight and by then it was easy to suspect that Wolfe and drummer Molly Neuman had made several trips to the bar. Never the less, when guitarist Erin Smith ripped out the open chords of “Love Thing” the real riot boys and girls busted a move (especially the boys dancing next to the video games-get funky!)
Of course the “play that song you played five years ago” request echoed off the deserted bowling lanes (oh yeah, this was happening in a defunct bowling alley- creepy) but Wolfe just smiled and introduced the news songs with brief amusing explanations.
The new material was fun and a more sophisticated than their earlier stuff. A few goodies were “Cheap Trick Record,” “It’s Common (But We Don’t Talk About It),” and “Eating Toothpaste,” a song about how kids will eat anything.Wolfe behaved as an ideal front woman by hopping and waving her arms during songs, telling drunk stories, demanding gossip on local bands, and most importantly, convincing the sound guy that her microphone was cutting out. (It never did but hey, I’m just a fan).
Chicago was one of only a few Midwest stops on Bratmobile’s first American tour in years. In the early 90s, the infamous threesome made news with their “revolutionary” messages and simplistic guitar styles only to part ways by the mid 90s to pursue other musical projects. They regrouped in 98 and toured with Sleater-Kinney during an American tour.
Despite the stagnit kids who surrounded my friend and I, it was an amusing show- one that I’m certain I’ll never forget. Looking back, I’m even pleased to see that Bratmobile can attract a younger audience, even if the kids can’t dance.