Adia Victoria opened the show with a dedication to Michael Brown, the unarmed Ferguson, Missouri, teenager who was killed by police earlier this month.
Victoria’s set was short but potent, including new tracks like “Taste of You” and “Sea of Sand” as well as her debut single “Stuck in the South.”
Judging by her sharp songwriting, instinctual knack for a blues hook and fiery, commanding stage presence, Victoria’s is a success story soon to be written.
At one point, Victoria sang, “All I ever really wanted was a story.”
What Victoria brought in raw, rootsy blues-rock, Tristen delivered in crystalline synth-pop.
Long hailed as one of the best acts in Nashville, Tristen’s vocals, as always, were note-for-note perfect.
Pulling heavily from last year’s C A V E S, which the Nashville Scene voted Best Local Album of 2013, Tristen and her band brought a light show to a room that likely rarely sees one.
Standouts from the set included “No One’s Gonna Know” from C A V E S, and “Heart and Hope to Die” from 2011’s Charlatans at the Garden Gate.
At one point Tristen covered David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World,” a song that also appeared on Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged album.
It was a welcome homecoming for Those Darlins, who have had a hell of a year touring in support of 2013’s Blur the Line.
The Darlins played several tracks from Blur The Line, including “In the Wilderness” and “Oh God,” as well as crowd favorites like 2009’s “Red Light Love” and 2011’s “Be Your Bro.”
Blur The Line was produced by Roger Moutenot, who has worked with Yo La Tango and John Cale.
Bassist and former drummer Linwood Regensburg keeping the beat.
Those Darlins cite Patti Smith as one of their chief influences.
Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream.
Those Darlins first met at Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
It’s rare and refreshing for a rock show to have a bill featuring three female-fronted acts, and for a city whose most recognizable rock exports tend to be men, hopefully this is a sign of similar things to come.
Nikki Darlin giving off a Chrissie Hynde meets Elvira kind of vibe.
Jessi Zazu performing at a 2014 show featuring Those Darlins, Tristen, and Adia Victoria
A highlight of the set was a cover of The Crystals’ 1963 hit “Then He Kissed Me” with Victoria and Tristen, which was delivered with the same tongue-in-cheek swagger that catapulted the band from local mainstays to nationwide touring act.
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