THUNDERPUSSY PLAY AN INTIMATE AND INTENSE SET AT PICKTHORN

Thunderpussy, a band led by four young and furious rockers, could only be created deep in the bowels of the mystic blacksmith’s workshop where Thor’s magical hammer was forged. I mean, from where else could these Valkyries emerge? It’s either that or they discovered an unused Ian Fleming moniker lost to history.  Thunderpussy is a force of nature and recently tour through an unsuspecting New York City for three straight nights, culminating in an intimate and intense show to close out the “Color Me Bushwick” festival in the back of PICKTHORN, a tiny hair salon.

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This is the band for anyone who’s been claiming rock ‘n’ roll is dead. One that responds to that statement with a righteous and furious presence that says, “Hold one just one fucking minute!” The Seattle based rockers, recently signed to Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready’s HockeyTalkter Records, come at you in waves of other-worldly howls, soul-shredding guitar licks, groovy baselines and pulse-pounding drums.

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The band is fronted by Molly Sides, an electric presence, who isn’t shy about getting up close and personal with her audience, which on this night was just a foot away from the band. Whether she’s sliding through the crowd and resting her head on an audience member or exhibiting the gracefulness of a classically trained dancer, you cannot take your eyes off her. But where Sides shines through is her voice. She has that vocal range that evokes a young Tina Turner putting you on notice every time a note springs forth from deep inside her.

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And guitarist Whitney Petty is a ball of frenetic finger work, ripping out chord after chord, to the point that you’re wondering how she didn’t have to change any of her strings during their set. Ruby Dunphy, in her early early twenties, wailed away on the drums so hard that she sent a cymbal flying. And bassist Leah Julius holds it all together with her thumping bass lines, much like she holds her pick in her mouth throughout most of the set.

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This band has all the prerequisites to pick up the mantle of rock crusaders should any of the current titleholders care to lay it down. They are energetic with a well-crafted stage presence and seem to genuinely love what they’re doing. Not to mention that their songs are the kind you’ll want to hit repeat on all day long. This sound is stepped in rock-history with a live show that reminds me of one of New York’s best bands: Mother Feather. It’s all there with Thunderpussy: the sound, the stage presence, a clear love for what they do, and above all else, having a good time with their fans while rocking out.

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The band just released their first single on the HockeyTalkter label, and their boss, (I guess that’s what he can be called) Mike McCready made sure he was there for two of the three nights to see these ladies winning over new fans. It’s no wonder that when McCready was asked at his book launch (and maybe we’ll see some of the polaroids of the band he snapped that night if/when releases his next book. Here’s to hoping), a couple days later at the Gramercy Theatre, which band he’s most excited to play with, his immediate answer was Thunderpussy. The cynic in you might think he was just promoting a band he’s got a vested interest in, but after you seem them live, that doubt will be utterly smashed, just like your senses.

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The best advice I can give you is to drop whatever you’re doing when they come to your town. Because they won’t be playing any venues as small as they did here in New York for long.

Article: Omar Kasrawi