The Coathangers Setlist
Tour Dates
9/14: Look Out Lounge - Omaha, NB
9/15: Jackpot - Lawrence, KS 9/16: Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO 9/17: Diabolical Records - SLC, UT 9/18: Holland Project - Reno, NV 9/19: TBD Festival - Sacramento, CA 9/21: Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA 9/24: Los Globos - Los Angeles, CA 9/25: Casbah - San Diego, CA 10/24-10/25: Santa Ana, CA - Beach Goth Fest Read More
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Catbath
photo: Amy
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Color TV
photo: Amy
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The Coathangers only played for about 45 minutes, but it never seemed rushed. It was an absorbing set, in fact, with vocalist/guitarist Crook Kid Coathanger (Julia Kugel), vocalist/drummer Rusty Coathanger (Stephanie Luke) and bassist Minnie Coathanger (Meredith Franco) spitting out track after track from their incredible most recent record Suck My Shirt. Select older cuts like “Arthritis Sux” (2009’s Scramble), “Tonya Harding” (2007’s self-titled) and “Hurricane” (2011’s Larceny & Old Lace) added to the electric atmosphere.
The band kicked off with “Johnny,” from Suck, a song that began with an almost frantic beat before exploding into a cacophonous cloud. Crook Kid switched from Kat Bjelland-like coos to full-throated shrieks and she stabbed and scratched out a lattice of guitar noise. Behind CK but definitely not out of sight, Rusty kept a hypnotic charging rhythm that would lurch to a stop and change the tempo with a break-neck wallop. On the other side of the stage, Minnie created the most irresistible groove with a bassline so menacing, you’d wish you had brought adult diapers. It’s as unsettling as it is exhilarating.
The band seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd. All members had come to the stage equipped with beverages including a bottle of wine. CK joked that they were allowing themselves a drink every two songs, but after a few tunes the “rule” didn’t stick and she started taking healthy swigs out of the wine bottle whenever she wanted. For the final song, “Don’t Touch My Shit,” CK shed her guitar and got confrontational, stalking the stage with the mic and yelping into the faces of delighted fans. She grabbed a second mic, pressed them both to her mouth and slowly planted her head into my friend’s chest. An inadvertent nod to their song “Nestle in my Boobies”?
The Coathangers filter rock and roll to its starkest and most primitive elements; it’s raw, edgy, always exciting and I love it. Get their album Suck My Shirt out on Suicide Squeeze and, for crying out loud, go see them live!
The Coathangers at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (12 September 2015) photo: Amy
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