One of the great things about the band Daughters is the art aspect they bring to the table. The words and vocals of Alexis S.F. Marshall are quite intriguing and have the ability to manifest in your mind and expand your imagination. With that being said, Daughters recently released a video for their song “Less Sex” from their album You Won’t Get What You Want. This video was directed by former founding member Jeremy Wabiszczewicz. The end result is a video that is dark and volatile while at the same time is deeply sensual and seductive. This is one of my favorite videos I’ve seen in the last few years. The song and video are perfect for each other. Check out this gem of a video, you’ll for sure thank me later.
Awestruck is a word that comes to mind when describing what I witnessed the other night after seeing Daughters live. The plethora of adjectives to describe the sheer amount of awe is astounding. From the start of the show with Hide, to Cult Leader and then Daughters, there was magic in the room this evening, thats for sure. Every band on the bill brought something interesting and explosive to this evening. I’m still trying to piece together the right words to explain this amazing show.
Hide was the first group to take the stage. The industrial goth group really knew how to set a tone for what was to come. Their short set was one of those that got you up and paying attention. The beats ruminating from the stage and the performance from singer Heather Gabel was quite stunning as she thrashed around to the music. The dramatic lights and strobes made the beats pulsate from the ground up. They definintely had the crowd building into a frenzy as they played.
Next up was the mighty Cult Leader. I’ve now had the pleasure of seeing them four times now and they have fast become one of my favorite bands to see live. Also I’d like to mention that this is the second time I’ve seen them at the Regent and there is something about this stage and the band that are meant to be. Riding high off their most recent album, A Patient Man, Cult Leader tore the audience up with their blend of heaviness and poetry in motion. There is something about this band that is truly hypnotic. Every time I see them I get more and more into it as the set goes on. The use of just a red light as they play along with the driving force of the music and vocals is the perfect encompassing of controlled chaos. Their set included songs “I Am Healed,” “Great I Am,” and “Sorrow” as well as epic numbers like “To Achyls” and “The Broken Right Hand Of God.” It was a perfect set list for anyone that’s a fan of the band or if this was your introduction. I also have to note that even this performance was the best I’ve seen of theirs. I was at a show of theirs a couple months back that I thought was the best but, this one just blew me away even more. What a way to set the stage for what was to come next.
Daughters took the stage to a roaring ovation and then unleashed a fury that I have been wanting to see for years. I have been a fan of the band for some time but, never got to see them live until now and it was worth waiting for and in no way did they disappoint. Their set contained a slew of songs from their new album (and first in 8 years) You Won’t Get What You Want, as well as others from Hell Songs, and their self titled album. Watching them on stage you wouldn’t ever think that they haven’t been a band for the past 8 years. Seeing them tear through songs like “The Reason They Hate Me,” “Satan In The Wait” “Our Queen (One Is Many, We Are One),” “Long Road No Turns,” “Less Sex,” “The Hit,” “Recorded Inside A Pyramid,” and “Ocean Song” was beyond words. The crowd was engaged from the very first note. While surveying the audience there wasn’t a still body in my line of sight. Getting to be right in the middle of the chaos and experiencing danger being restored in rock music was a joy to be around. Daughters are more than just a “heavy” band, they are artistic and poetic, thus providing a package of true substance. Having them back is a real treat. I truly hope they continue on and keep delivering inspired music and words.
Daughters Set List:
01) The Reason They Hate Me
02) The Lords Song
03) Satan In The Wait
04) The Dead Singer
05) Recorded Inside A Pyramid
06) Our Queens (One Is Many, Many Are One)
07) Long Road, No Turns
08) Daughters Spelled Wrong
09) Less Sex
10) The Hit
11) The Virgin
12) Guest House
13) Daughter
14) Ocean Song
Cult Leader Set List:
01) I Am Healed
02) Curse Of Satisfaction
03) Isolation In The Land Of Milk & Honey
04) To Achlys
05) Great I Am
06) Sympathetic
07) The Broken Right Hand Of God
More Cult Leader Shots:
More Daughters Shots:
Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy
(Side Note: I didn’t take many pictures because I was too into the show.)
It’s never easy for a band to come back from a lengthy hiatus and pick up where they left off. There are a few anomalies over the years where that has happened, Failure, Alice In Chains, and Death From Above 1979 are just a couple that come to mind. You can now add Daughters to that list. Releasing their first album in over 8 years, You Won’t Get What You Want is an album that continues the legacy of what Daughters created at first but now, takes it a bit further and almost reinvents what the band once was.
You Won’t Get What You Want is not accessible or mainstream by any means. Instead you get a visceral album that stretches and pushes the boundaries of art rock, post punk, a bit of industrial and rock. From the well crafted songs to the production, the final product is every bit a Daughters album and then some. There are songs that border on the chaotic like “Long Road No Turns,” “Satan In The Wait,” and “Less Sex.” Then there are others that expand upon different elements of atmosphere and aggression like “The Flammable Man,” “The Lords Song,” “The Reason They Hate Me,” and “Ocean Song. The opening and closing songs “City Song” and “Guest House” have a way about them that not only set and end a mood but, they also hit you like a ton of bricks.
Daughters are a band that aren’t easily describable. Sure you can throw around different genres to see if they stick but, in the end, the experimental nature of the band and what they create is in itself art. You Won’t Get What You Want is an album that is much needed in this day an age. It will make you think, as well as take you places you and your mind might not have gone before. Daughters are back and have delivered an album worthy of their past as well as what the future holds for them. What an album. Every time I listen, I hear something else that makes me dig this album even more. This record is most certainly in my top 10 of the year.
As a music fan I can appreciate the concept of artistry when it comes to making music. Not everything has to formulaic in the sense of verse, chorus and repeat. There is something provocative about a band that is willing to experiment and step outside the box. One such band that I’ve come to really enjoy over the past couple years is Daughters. This newly reformed band has now unleashed two songs from their upcoming and long awaited album You Won’t Get What You Want, which comes out October 26 (via Ipecac Recordings). Daughters is one of those bands that gets lumped into many sub-genres such as nosie-rock and mathcore but, to me they have always just been an alternative rock/metal band. The bands previous three albums, Canada Songs, Hell Songs and self titled album are expansive and show a band willing to change and evolve the right way. Daughters are one of those bands that when you really sit and listen to everything musically and lyrically, there is something truly astonishing about the artistic development and depth each member brings to the band.
Daughters- Satan In The Wait:
Daughters- The Reason They Hate Me:
Previous Albums:
Canada Songs:
Hell Songs:
Daughters:
Upcoming Tour Dates:
October 31 Richmond, VA Strange Matter
November 1 Baltimore, MD Metro Gallery
November 2 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
audioeclectica 