Taylor Momsen and The Pretty Reckless

Last night proved that we really are living in the information age. The Pretty Reckless, a band fronted by 16 year old Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen and without a full album to their credit; played what felt like a capacity show at Toronto’s Bovine Sex Club.

The crowd at the Bovine Sex Club is usually more punk rock than Haute Couture – it is what it is. Different bands draw different crowds.

The opening band was a brilliant group from Connecticut called The Queen Killing Kings. The influences I heard from their brief but remarkable set were quite diverse. They gave us a taste of Elton John, Oasis, Scissor Sisters, and “…a Night at the Opera” era Queen. I picked up their CD – be sure to look forward to a review very soon!

After The Queen Killing Kings exited the stage – which took forever due to the poor setup of the venue – we waited about a half hour before The Pretty Reckless was even able to set up their gear. Even when they finally were ready to play the night was fraught with technical difficulties – their guitar tech and roadie was noticeably absent and he was dearly missed. For one song the guitar had cut out entirely. To be fair – for someone who had never done live sound for a band, their road manager Ronnie did a decent job.

Anyway – once all the gear was in order; we heard shouting from the back of the venue. Taylor was about to hit the stage.

It must be weird to be a 16 year old in a bar. You’re the only one not drinking and you have to be kept away from everyone until it is your time to hit the stage. And when she did she was flanked by 5 security guards.

From the start of the show - even though I enjoyed their music – I thought it felt like it was all an act. She has vocal chops better than most and her stage presence was exactly what she wanted to convey – but to me Taylor’s angst didn’t seem real.

But then I thought to myself – why should it? Her band is good, her writing is good (yes – she has writing credits on every song), her performance is good (sexy enough to send me to jail) – so what the hell? A lot of credit is given to being real. So what if she hasn’t experienced the life of the person she is singing as. Some of the best authors don’t write about the life they live.

Once I got past that and saw her as a performer doing what she wants to do I had a newfound respect for her and her band. They are really quite good. Their set was a little short – but they don’t have too much material to work with just yet. It will get better as they progress – and I do look forward to that. I’ll be reviewing her next show too – let’s look forward to progress!



(Photo Credits: Copyright Dani Dee 2010)