Dum Dum Girls @ The Echo, LA 1/28/14

Tuesday night marked another milestone for Dee Dee Penny and Dum Dum Girls: the release of their latest album, Too True. Of course there was cause to celebrate and fortunately for the folks of Los Angeles, the small, intimate, and divey venue The Echo played host to the party, selling out the event to no one’s surprise.

As Dum Dum Girls took the stage, a male fifth member joined the band on stage that added a slight twist and dynamic to the set. Each member was clad in all black, but it would be foolish to immediately connect the color with the mood of the set and atmosphere. Instead, the color represents their visual and artistic identity, unity, and cohesiveness. The whole set clocked in at just about under an hour, but it was tight and brazen with no frills or loose ends, rolling through each song without much banter in between.

Drummer Sandy Vu immediately impressed on opener “Bedroom Eyes” and “I Got Nothing” with her thunderous and hard-hitting percussion. “I Will Be” was the closest to old-school punk as the band got, thanks to Vu’s pummeling, barreling, and head-banging rhythm. Guitarist Jules Medeiros’ slick guitar melodies dominated songs such as “In the Wake of You” and “Rimbaud Eyes,” where the reverberated hooks seemed nearly cathartic, while bassist Malia James laid down thick bass lines on “Lost Boys and Girls Club” and “Under These Hands.”

Penny displayed great versatility with her voice, going from louder numbers such as “He Gets Me High,” “Season in Hell,” and “It Only Takes One Night” to softer ones like highlight “Are You Okay,” and encores “Mine Tonight” and “Lord Knows.” Most of the songs were played one right after the other, so it was impressive on how she was able to transition between the different paces. And with all the emotional and personal undertones in the songs, Penny did a great job channeling them throughout the entire set and showing signs of vulnerability.

Even though the night seemed to end rather briefly, Dum Dum Girls played a fantastic set filled dominated by new tunes, but with a range of older songs thrown in the mix. It shows that they’ve been long overdue for a huge breakout and 2014 is primed for them to do so.

Set list:
Bedroom Eyes
I Got Nothing
In the Wake of You
He Gets Me High
Are You Okay?
Under These Hands
I Will Be
It Only Takes One Night
Rest Of Our Lives
Rimbaud Eyes
Season in Hell
Lost Boys and Girls Club
Sight of You (Pale Saints cover)

Encore:
Mine Tonight
Lord Knows

Sneak a peek at the full gallery of Dum Dum Girls’ sold-out performance HERE!