Queenadreena: aggro-art of reinforced ‘blues’

As the stage-lights gradually fade an image appears on the backdrop screen, that of a female body writhing on a kitchen floor; the grainy, arty, black’n’white footage continues as the onscreen silhouette appears in front of us and adds live vocal to the introductory tape. The other three members, already plugged in, then get down to 45 minutes of undiluted adrenaline!

Queenadreena is a four-headed monster but there is only one focus: the svelte, the turbo-charged, the white-wine bottle swigging woman, the mess-of-emotions that is Katie Jane Garside. She is the woman in the middle absorbing all the attention and adulation: the band’s guitarist tries hard to interfere, bass booms like it was to hit the temporal frequency, drums are rattling every bone in present bodies, but no one can divert our eyes from the singer.

She later utilises a chair as a platform to tower over us and enrich our sensual input with grandiose style. It’s been a couple of years since we encountered Queenadreena’s lot - have a look onsite for her state of mind then - and they’ve ripened into a killer-machine, hardened, more confident and secure in their vision of ‘no-damn-giveth’. QA is one of the few outfits who appear to be honest with themselves to admit that, save a perversion of mass taste, a high-ranking chart hit is unlikely regardless of any amount of compromise and thus - play music in tune with their heartbeats.

The new single ‘FM Doll’ is a champ-single but too strident, rough and way-out rocking [man!] for the dull times we shop in. This is the sort of a punk-blues that comes out so agonized one feels a psychiatrist should be on a rider. Katie doesn’t look as emaciated as she used to but still likes her attire to be über-vintage [Post 'boho-style'? - Fash. Ed] pulled at constantly, its bottom lifted above her waste and then over a shoulder displaying some sexy flesh.

But this Queen isn’t about gratuitous erotica; Garside’s performing persona’s always been this duality of a child/whore, an innocent/sinner, Lolita/Thelma character who stops at nothing but humanity’s terminal marked - ‘Dark side’. A cross between Patti Smith and Courtney Love, rolled into one and topped with individuality many a manufactured Avril would kill for. Queenadreena’s music can be Soundbite’d into Jane’s Addiction fronted by Siouxsie Sioux having a period and being fuct-off with her hubby for... whatever wife gets enough mad about to withhold the marital duty!

Katie’s supporting cast is impressive with guitarist looking like a younger version [bet this gonna piss him off!] of Nick Rhodes escaping his glam-phase although triggering such colossal chords you don‘t care about the stripy blazer!? [Sartorial it ain’t, in-office ‘Trinny’ claims.] Queenadreena are about music, about tones that disturb, entice, tease, thrill, challenge with combination of psychedelia, Hard Rock and Gothica… A huge sonic range imbues their sound.

Albums ‘Taxidermy’ (2K) and ‘Drink Me’ (2002) are soon to be joined by ‘Butcher and The Butterfly’ and there are bound to be more telling titles: ‘Pretty Like Drugs’, ‘My Silent Undoing’, ‘Are The Songs My Disease’… This is a band that could write a tune named ‘Rubella’ and turn it into a shriek of loneliness. There is one Katie and she looks better than ever: flourishing disrespectfully, that’s what we love in a woman!

An evening of highly charged atmosphere rewarded by adoring response from the near-full house.