Thelma and the Sleaze

We wouldn’t realize just how much greasy muck we’d be wiping out of our ears until Thelma and the Sleaze came on next. This trio of knockabout dames sound literally no less menacing than they look, taking their namesake much more literally than you’d expect. Combining the feminist onslaught of Sleater-Kinney and the heavy pop crunch of Thin Lizzy, their sleazy, muscle-bound riffs oozed off the stage with a confrontational, disreputable tone.

With the stage lit solely by a plastic, leg-shaped lamp (yep, like the one in A Christmas Story), the band’s lewdly androgynous stage presence — shirtless guitarists, black tape over the nips, etc. — ensured this was about the seediest rock show you can get without technically breaking any laws. The crowd had thinned considerably by set’s end, leaving only a hardcore row of females still pumping fists until the very last song and proving these ladies may have successfully trumped the Springwater in terms of legendary rack and ruin. [Nashville Scene]