Las Vegas Weekly

March 15, 2009 · 12:43 PM

Long time, no see

By Julie Seabaugh

They haven’t played together in five months (since October 23, for those keeping score at home), and, judging from the swelling crowd’s reaction to an eight-song set, the ladies of Love Pentagon had been sorely missed. As Saturday’s penultimate Beauty Bar set proved, neither the darkly danceable, synthed-out psychedelic pop nor the arresting visual aspect of their show has waned in the interim. The Top 5 eyeball-pleasers:

5. The superhero costumes are long gone (forever destroyed by zombie blood, explained frontwoman Christina Z). Instead, the theme of the evening was “Tacky Dresses.”

4. The arrival of a costumed, dancing bear? cheetah? spotted weasel? onstage who assumed maraca-and-tambourine duties during “People Who Expect Nothing Will Never Be Disappointed.” Much like Superman/Clark Kent, Jeff “The Doodler” Madlambayan of Pan de Sal was nowhere to been seen during the appearance.

3. The ocean of waving arms at the onset of the just-committed-to-tape-in December “Overboard,” a narrative that channels both The Decemberists and Keira Knightley’s Pirates of the Caribbean bustline.

2. Christina Z’s hammering vocal-and-mallet assault during an aggressive closer, the also-recently-recorded “Time to Collect Those Goods.” How quickly can we get “The Bonham of glockenspiel” to catch on?

1. The impossibly wide grins perma-plastered not merely on the band’s faces, but on the ecstatic audience as well.

In other LP news, 2007’s Bang! may soon find itself with a new musical sibling, as plans are underway to release a new EP or participate in a seven-inch split. A week-long summer jaunt has also been discussed. “We will tour again,” bassist Judi Brown has promised. “Love Pentagon is still near and dear to our hearts.”

Share This