Chelsea Girls bring balls-out rock back to West Hollywood

February 26, 2009, at the Roxy

By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: February 28th, 2009 | 8:25pm

With Axl Rose going all hermit on us, and Bret Michaels hocking a different kind of Poison (reality TV shows) these days, there has been a serious glut of balls-out rock on the Sunset Strip. Leave it to a foursome of ladies to bring it back.

Chelsea Girls boast an impressive pedigree: Alison Robertson of the Donnas shreds on lead guitar, Corey Parks of Nashville Pussy helms the bass, Samantha Maloney of Hole and Motley Crue attacks the double-bass drums, and the singularly named Tuesdae seethes and seduces behind the mic. On stage, these blond babes exude more testosterone than a Viagra commercial. Witnessing a female cover band absolutely wail on butt-rockers like Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” ironically reveals just how effete hair metal really was.

Beyond that dichotomy, the show was transfixing. It felt like 1989 all over again at the Roxy. Between pitch-perfect renditions of “Welcome to the Jungle” and cameos by members of Ratt and Quiet Riot, the authenticity and passion of the Girls’ act never dissipated into parody. (Sure, Tuesdae brandished some very Rob Halford–like Aviators and later a silver mask that aped Slipknot, but her commanding presence pacified skeptics.) Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister made a heralded appearance (which sparked fans’ chants of “mole, mole, mole” a la Austin Powers) as did Carmen Electra, who treated the towering Parks like a stripper pole.

And there was yet more hedonism. During a sexy take on KISS’ “Lick It Up,” a scrawny guy leaped onto the hallowed stage and dove into a faction of photographers, prompting the band to remind everyone of their mantra: “Don’t touch the stage, don’t touch the gear, don’t touch the girls.” With that, Parks spat water over the audience and they barreled into a scorching cover of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker.” And though she was somewhat obscured by her instrument, Maloney’s magnetic grin and windblown locks lit up the room.

They wrapped up the incendiary set with AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” a perfect cap to a deliciously swarthy evening. Chelsea Girls have the whole package: easy on the eyes, but with an insane swagger that most men couldn’t dream of replicating. This band is just what the doctor (Feelgood) ordered.
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For more photos from this show visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page