Big Hard Rock

Right off the bat, I'm going to admit that this is something that I feel quite conflicted about. 

I cannot deny that when I saw the first flyers for Nine Inch Heels, my very first instinct was to shake my head at the flagrant copying of Nine Inch Nails' name and logo, and I mean especially the logo. Normally I'd just be disappointed but, since Nine Inch Nails have been my favourite band in the world for the past 20 years, this one especially gets under my skin.

However, on the other side of things, we have the involvement of the wonderfully creative Felicia Black, who I'm a big fan of as both a creator and as a person. So, when she personally invited me to attend their first gig, it was not really something that I could turn down. 

And, even in the absence of any invitation, I still had some curiosity about what the sound of the music would be like. Would they go the whole hog and try to be Nine Nails sound-alikes? 

Thankfully, no. But I kind of already knew that having heard clip of a song that had been put up on social media a while back, which had more of a southern rock or country feel to it. (Although, those are sounds that are not at all on my radar for personal listening so I very well may have mislabelled them. Shit happens...)

While, the opening couple of numbers did seem to follow that general sort of sound, the set list then deviated into territory that is much more in my wheelhouse. Things got a bit heavier, even bordering on some light industrial in amongst the hard rock and metal, which I suppose was inevitable given the band name. I may even have found myself complaining if there hadn't been at least some homage to band that they have borrowed so much from.

There was also a mixture of English and German vocals, although predominantly English for the 70-80 minutes that I was able to hang around for. And, although most of the vocals were handled by Felicia and Chloe, they also sprinkled in some male vocals courtesy of other band members, generally when something a little harsher was required.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to you that many of the lyrical themes touched on sexy themes; both romantic and downright filthy. That should be a given for this community though, right?

Oh yeah, and tangentially related to that, in the time honoured tradition of rock n roll, there was plenty of skin on display. Before they even reached the midpoint in their set, most clothes had been discarded as the performers became hot and sweaty under the stage lights.  So, even if music wasn't to your ear's liking, there was at least enjoy some eye candy to please one of your other senses.

If you are curious to hear what they sound like for yourself, you can find a selection of songs on Felicia's Soundcloud