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Originally formed in 1981 by the rhythm duo of Brian Richie on bass and Victor DeLorenzo on drums, they selected the name originally as a joke but by the time Gordon Gano joined to round out the line-up, it had stuck and the band was in place. They started out gigging at cafes and busking on street corners. On one such street gig they impressed members of The Pretenders who asked the band to open for them at their set that evening.
Their 1983 self-titled debut album slowly but surely became something of a cult classic, with songs like ‘Blister in the sun’ and ‘Kiss Off’ helping it to turn gold long after its initial release. The albums unique sound resonated with audiences and is now considered one of the best alternative albums of the decade.
They followed this with 1984’s ‘Hallowed Ground’ which saw the band head towards a more country driven sound, led by Gano’s religious lyricism. This was followed by the more mainstream leaning ‘The Blind Leading the Naked’ which saw the band enter the charts for the first time and even spawned a minor hit in their cover of T-rex’s ‘Children of the Revolution’.
From this point on, they had many break ups and reformations but the band always managed to release new music and continue playing shows worldwide.
Violent Femmes - 30th anniversary of the first album. We're all a little older than we were when the first album came out, so they could be forgiven for being a little slower, smoother, mellower. The stage was set out with a selection of guitars, banjos, etc. so it certainly looked like being a slicker, more professional affair. But - not a chance!!! I felt 30 years younger as they launched into the opening bars of the opening track: Blister in the Sun. We danced wildly, we shouted along. It all sounded as fresh and exciting as it had when first heard, and it was faithful to the album - normally I like a bit of variation in a live show, but somehow this was just perfect. On it went with hardly a pause: pretty much the only thing Gordon Gano said was to tell us where you turned the record over on the vinyl version, and the only instrument changes were where necessary (for Gone Daddy Gone, for example). End of side 2 and I was exhausted and sweating like anything. But I thought they were going to give us all of Hallowed Ground as well as they showed no signs of slowing down. We didn't get that, but plenty of other old favourites (including my personal fave "Held her in my arms"). A special mention has to be made for the venue - I can recommend the Troxy which is a great building and (for me) really easy to get to on the DLR. Ears ringing, sweating and exhausted I went out into the night feeling 30 years younger - you can't ask for more than that.
nearvana
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