The Beat: Rockin’ with Le Butcherettes

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Le Butcherettes brought their unbridled punk sounds to a sold-out DC9 show in Washington’s U Street neighborhood earlier this month. After an opening set from DC-based garage rock duo Venray and a high-energy set from tour mates Stars at Night, an all-female L.A.-based punk band, Le Butcherettes took the stage for a blistering performance featuring music from all over the band’s catalogue with an emphasis on its February release, “bi/MENTAL.”

As the band kicked off the show with “Burn the Scab,” the eerie and upbeat opening track from 2014’s “Cry is for the Flies,” they immediately showed why they’ve been captivating increasingly growing audiences. Frontwoman Teri Gender Bender is completely possessed by the music throughout the night, only proving she’s human by cracking innocent smiles between songs. She digs her whole body into the notes on her keyboard and guitar, juts about in robotic movements to the beat of the music and projects her lyrics with every muscle in her face.

Drummer Alejandra Robles-Luna, in the spirit of Dave Grohl and The Muppets’ Animal, is consistently headbanging, locking in tightly with bassist Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez as he dances around the stage. And in the corner on stage left, Riko Rodriguez-Lopez, while a more modest performer, fills in the spaces with textural layers of guitar, keyboards and samples. The band is simply a sight and sound to behold.

Marc Shapiro is a journalist, photographer, and lifelong musician and concert-goer. More of his photos can be viewed on his Facebook page, and he can be reached at [email protected].

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