Le Butcherettes – The Picture Books – Kasbah – Coventry – 15/10/2016
Mexican Garage Rockers Le Butcherettes tour hit Coventry last week and Fighting Boredom were there being blown away completely.
The Picture Books are just two guys, on drums and guitar, a couple of long hairs playing primal blues based rock. The volume is at ear splitting levels and there aren’t enough people here yet to absorb any of the sound so it’s massive. The music is led by an enormous drum sound, it’s distorted and fucked up. It moves slowly and deliberately forwards loosely powered by sweat and rock. The slow hammering and riffs are interspersed with howling, medleys and at one point a verse form The KKK Took My Baby Away.
Le Butcherettes are striking. The drummer Alejandra sits, relaxed, focused and beautiful. While the bassist Riko never stops moving, swaying and dancing back and forwards. Teri Gender Bender stands in a baggy jumpsuit with a scarlet stripe painted across her face. She exudes raw sensuality and is possibly the most charismatic front woman I have seen since Siouxsie captured me all those years ago. The music is brilliant, a real step up from the last record which is good but not at this level.They start with the electronic sounds off the aforementioned last release which builds up the tension and draws the crowd in. The song ends and Terri picks up a guitar and the sound erupts. She gives her all, she makes eye contact with the crowd and when she sings to you everything goes away but that moment. She dances, acts out the words and creates the songs around herself.
The band make a trembling, primal rock’n’roll noise, it is quite excellent. The rhythm section hold the music down as Teri heads off into the atmosphere. When it all kicks in and slots together they are one of the best garage rock’n’roll bands I have ever seen and I feel like a teenager again, standing at the front of the stage and losing myself in the music.
Teri moves like a snake about to strike, grinning playfully and then completely straight faced and focused. There’s a pop song inside the garage making you dance but this is total punk attitude and noise.
Teri is sexy and cool, just the right side of unhinged, she captures you and you can’t look away, can’t escape and to be quite honest, you don’t want to. They swerve into a mad surf lick, the drums kick into an eighties backbeat and the bass starts to drone, this could be new wave if it wasn’t for the distorted trash echo wailing along.
Then Teri drags off her jumpsuit to the bright scarlet dress and tights underneath as she screams ‘Take my dress off!’ over and over. She throws herself over the barrier and dances with the crowd, singing and smiling, holding hands and I watch as people fall for her again. She’s aloof but one of us, just another messed up kid, a star but standing looking up too.
They go on and must have played everything they know, it’s exhausting watching them, pure punk garage brilliance, roll on next time.
Le Butcherettes
The Picture Books
The Picture Books’ website is thepicturebooks.com, they are also on Facebook.
Le Butcherettes’ website is lebutcherettes.net, they are also on Facebook and tweet as @lebutcherettes.
All words by Adrian Bloxham.
All pictures by Martin Ward.
The Picture Books are just two guys, on drums and guitar, a couple of long hairs playing primal blues based rock. The volume is at ear splitting levels and there aren’t enough people here yet to absorb any of the sound so it’s massive. The music is led by an enormous drum sound, it’s distorted and fucked up. It moves slowly and deliberately forwards loosely powered by sweat and rock. The slow hammering and riffs are interspersed with howling, medleys and at one point a verse form The KKK Took My Baby Away. 
