The Blacks - Bottom of the Hill, August 9th

The funny thing about The Blacks that I first noticed, upon witnessing their mind-blowing performance at the Bottom of the Hill on Saturday (Aug. 9th), is that if there were ever a lead singer who reminded me of Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, this was it. But take Louisa Black and place her next to Karen herself and who would look like the imitation? Certainly not Miss Black. After enduring the gloomy basement-art-rock stylings of opener The New Centuries, aptly named after a local strip club (or that’s the rumour anyway) – The Blacks entered the stage and began shouting at me unapologetically. But I didn’t mind. It was like somebody kicking art up my ass – art that I deserved. I felt that I had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Singer Louisa Black looked just like all of the sexy, assertive, and intelligent bitches I’ve ever met in my life, except she played guitar way better.
Next to her stood the most seemingly useless band member, JDK Blacker - cleary her slave – dressed in a contrasting white suit, doing nothing but banging a tambourine around but nonetheless contributing to the overall artistic appeal and stage presence of the performers that evening. I was captivated. Normally I stick to music that I am somewhat familiar with. It just seems to grow on me. I did not know nor could I really understand much of what Louisa Black was singing. My attention span drifted in and out the way it always does, but somehow I managed to absorb the experience and feel completely satisfied. Even despite three technical difficulties, including a breaking snare, The Blacks never lost their pace or focus.
Now a word of defense. You should not, if you are a Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan, bypass this band, writing them off as yet another imitation. At this point I am certain that if you were to place Louisa Black and Karen O in a dueling arena, Louisa would come out victorious. In a word, Louisa Black is more Karen O than Karen O herself. Mix that concentrated essence of Karen with a dose of sixties mod rock and a dash of 20’s liberation, and you have The Blacks – the most down-to-earth, in your face art rock this side of the Bay.