CHARLY BLISS AND VERUCA SALT CRANK UP THE VOLUME AT WEBSTER HALL

Everyone was beautiful and caffeinated in the cool confines of Webster Hall last night, braced for the blow of some badass chicks. The bands plastered on the marquee were Charly Bliss, whose name evokes a roller derby kind of irony, and the legendary Veruca Salt, who should definitely be skating on the same team.

Owning their punky, garage band attitude, Charly Bliss took a ferocious bite out of sugary subjects like Gatorade and soft-serve ice cream. Being as cute and bubbly as Eva Hendricks might seem like a full-time gig, but she had plenty else on the agenda – like throwing her tiny frame into every beat, shredding on her guitar, and squealing like a siren between verses.

Charly Bliss

Charly Bliss

Charly Bliss

“All of our parents are here tonight…” she confessed between songs, adding, “Mom, I promise I will tie my shoes before we do ‘Love Me.’” This brought out a burst of vows from the boys behind her, like “I’m wearing ear plugs, Mom!” and “We got a slice of pizza earlier, so we’re well fed!” With a set like that, I think they earned another slice.

Charly Bliss

Charly Bliss

Charly Bliss

Veruca Salt, who are now touring in their original lineup, soaked up the shouts and rocked to a slick start with “Prince of Wales.” Seasoned 90s icons Nina Gordon and Louise Post still have plenty to scream about – not that we had any doubts. They showed no mercy to any f***ing bastard on “I’m Taking Europe With Me,” and continued to kill it on “Black and Blonde,” “Straight,” “Laughing in the Sugar Bowl,” and “Forsythia.”

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

“We’ve been busy. We made a record,” said Gordon coolly. In response, the audience just about took the walls down.

Veruca’s set was a sick shuffle of old classics and new hits from Ghost Notes. Their riff-heavy grunge broke all kinds of noise ordinances as they powered on through “All Hail Me,” “Empty Bottle,” “The Gospel According to Saint Me,” “Eyes on You,” “Volcano Girls,” “Don’t Make Me Prove It,” “Triage,” “Spiderman ‘79,” “Seether,” “The Museum of Broken Relationships,” and “Earthcrosser.”

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Especially memorable was their slow, a cappella rendering of “One Last Time.” In a massive call-and-response with the crowd, Gordon belted out “I want you to try to love me like a monster…” “ONE LAST TIME!” “Control me like a father…” “ONE LAST TIME!”

Veruca Salt fans

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt wrapped up with “Shutterbug,” “Shimmer Like A Girl,” and “25.” Just like their spoiled namesake, their fans still wanted more, and they want it now.

Article: Olivia Isenhart

Photos: Shayne Hanley