Deap Vally's farewell LA performance showcased a band still confidently at the apex of their game
Deap Vally's farewell LA performance showcased a band still confidently at the apex of their game
Live for the last time, LA legends Deap Vally performed to a packed and enthusiastic house of fervent admirers at Teragram Ballroom.
Death Valley Girls opened the evening with a refreshed lineup that placed six-string sorceress Heather Nation and bass-ace Sarah Linton alongside frontwoman Bonnie Bloomgarden and drummer Rikki Styxx . This latest iteration is an inflection point for the band, emphasizing the special brand of new-age psychedelic communion that Death Valley Girls have been slowly building towards and fully embraced on their 2023 LP, Islands In The Sky. The mesmerizing harmonies beginning with “Hypnagogia” expanded to fill every molecule of space between the celestial entities radiating intergalactic unity from the stage to achieve a state of sonic euphoria unmatched in prior incarnations. This is the most inspirational Death Valley Girls have ever felt and by all measures just the beginning of a new chapter in an already storied legacy.
The set wasn’t purely comprised of rapturously kaleidoscopic executions of the band’s catalog. While Bonnie’s keys were front-and-center for most of the performance, Nation’s unique playstyle brought a tonal shift away from the angular aggression of Death Valley Girl’s earliest rippers, softening the razor sharp edges into something thicker and deeper that still moved with fierce intent. Linton and Rikki Styx operated in tight formation, effortlessly transitioning from heady grooves to powerfully tribal rhythms culminating in a ritualistic rendition of “Abre Camino” that left the audience entranced and awestruck at the band’s extraordinary magic powers.
As the venue lights came down for the headlining set, thick billows of fog enshrouded the stage. Two figures emerged from the miasma, cloaked like a pair of druidesses coalescing from the very ether. In a sudden flash of light the mysterious mantles were revealed to be brilliant boxing robes. This was the main event. The champs had arrived.
More than ten years removed from their incendiary debut LP, Sistrionix, Deap Vally launched headlong into a take-no-prisoners set that demonstrated first hand just why this dynamic duo has remained such a formidable force throughout their monumental career. Deap Vally are masters of big, bawdy electric blues that places them easily alongside their similarly dyadic peers Death From Above 1979, The Kills, and The White Stripes but it is the staunchly independent feminine perspective that sets them apart from the sheer muscularity of their brethren. A nonstop cavalcade of riotous rockers exploded with nuclear force as Julie Edwards and Lindsay Troy generated enough attitude to bury a small city under an avalanche of downtuned riffs and colossal percussion that seemed conjured from the very earth itself.
Poignantly, Deap Vally’s farewell tour is not only a reminder of the band’s impressive abilities and significant impact, but also in support of the recently released Sistrionix 2.0. Much like Taylor Swift’s notable revisiting of her entire catalog, Sistrionix 2.0 is more than simply a re-recording. It’s yet another example of female artists reclaiming their work, their art, and their voice from the predatory bureaucracy of label machinations. In doing so Deap Vally has rewritten their legacy in bold type, adding another dimension to the catalog of feminist empowerment anthems that transcend eras to remain as impactful as the day they were written, now fully in the control of the women who channeled their entire selves into birthing a timelessly iconic statement piece.
Ending the night with a blistering extended version of “Royal Jelly,” Deap Vally almost reluctantly left the stage, fading into the fog once more enveloped by the cheering of an adoring audience completely in awe of a band still confidently at the apex of their game. Deap Vally will be missed, indeed.
Follow Deap Vally on Instagram and stream Sistrionix 2.0 on Spotify. Follow Death Valley Girls on Instagram and stream their catalog on Spotify.
Deap Vally Live For The Last Time Farewell Tour - Upcoming Shows
March 15 - Backstage Bar + Billiards - Las Vegas, Nevada - TICKETS
March 16 - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, Utah - TICKETS
March 17 - Marquis - Denver, Colorado - TICKETS
March 18 - Meow Wolf - Santa Fe, New Mexico - TICKETS
March 20 - Mohawk - Austin, Texas - TICKETS
Mar 21 - Trees - Dallas, Texas - TICKETS
Mar 20 - Mar 24 - Treefort Music Fest - Boise, Idaho - TICKETS
April 18 - Foro Indie Rocks! - Mexico City, Mexico - TICKETS
May 20 - LAV - Lisboa Au Vivo - Lisbon, Portugal - TICKETS
May 21 - La Boite - Madrid, Spain - TICKETS
May 22 - Razzmatazz 2 - Barcelona, Spain - TICKETS
May 24 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, France - TICKETS
May 25 - Levitation France - Angers, France - TICKETS
May 26 - Blue Shell - Cologne, Germany - TICKETS
May 28 - Bar Brooklyn - Stockholm, Sweden - TICKETS
May 29 - Hotel Cecil - Copenhagen, Denmark - TICKETS
May 30 - Cassiopeia - Berlin, Germany - TICKETS
May 31 - De Casino - Sint-Niklaas, Belgium - TICKETS
June 1 - Bitterzoet - Amsterdam, Netherlands - TICKETS
June 3 - Concorde 2 - Brighton, United Kingdom - TICKETS
June 4 - Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, United Kingdom - TICKETS
June 5 - Gorilla - Manchester, United Kingdom - TICKETS
June 6 - King Tut's - Glasgow, United Kingdom - TICKETS
June 8 - EartH Hall - London, United Kingdom - TICKETS
June 9 - Thekla - Bristol, United Kingdom - TICKETS