|
On a highway to Hell's Belles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Glenn BurnSilver
|
|
Thursday, 26 July 2007 |
|
|
|
|
 Before scoffing at the thought of an all-female AC/DC tribute band, know this: These women will kick your ass.
While AC/DC was the quintessential power rock band known for its straight-ahead assault on the senses through loud riffing and bombastic vocals, there is nothing that says women can’t rock just as hard — even if many of the songs strike at male dominance, hot women with backseat rhythm and certain parts of the male anatomy.
“Something about women playing AC/DC is enticing … the energy that AC/DC created is just so nasty. To have women doing it and singing their songs just works,” said Lisa Brisbois of Hell’s Belles, the name a play on AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells,” the first track on the AC/DC record, 1980s Back In Black. She is the rhythm guitarist, the band’s Malcom Young.
“AC/DC is the ultimate rock band. They are nasty and they’re dirty, but everybody can identify with it. What better idea than having five women play AC/DC songs?” Brisbois said.
AC/DC came to prominence in the early 1970s hard rock scene, coming out of Australia to rival the Who and Led Zeppelin for rock ’n’ roll dominance. With powerhouse tunes that ignored glamour and complex melodies for blues-based rock ’n’ roll simplicity, AC/DC captured an audience looking for no-frills rock. Sure, the stage shows were at times outrageous with pyrotechnics and cannon blasts, but it was the music that kept fans filling arenas. And it is that music, more than anything else, that lures people to Hell’s Belles shows.
“My experience is that people, especially guys, are curious to see if we can pull it off,” she said. “They come because the concept of us being women … what do we look like, can we do it? The overwhelming response is that it is so much like the real thing that they can’t help but get caught up in it. It is powerful. If you can’t see AC/DC, it is the next best thing,” Brisbois said.
Hell’s Belles formed in Seattle in 2000. Brisbois said she passed up a chance to join the original Hell’s Belles line-up for fear of not being able to pull it off. When offered a second chance, Brisbois didn’t hesitate. “At first, I (thought) Malcolm is just a god. So I said no. Later, I said, ‘Hell yeah, what do I have to do?’ ”
Brisbois, who claims “Walk All Over You” and “Bad Boy Boogie” as her favorite AC/DC songs, calls their popularity “the weirdest thing in the world.” However, the band is no novelty act on the ever-expanding tribute-band circuit that includes acts posing as Led Zeppelin, ABBA, the Doors and, sadly, even the Dave Matthews Band. The real difference here is that Hell’s Belles doesn’t merely “do” AC/DC, they live it with an all-out intensity that closely matches the original stride for stride.
Big balls are not required.
In this case, skirts will do just fine.
———
IF YOU WANT BLOOD GET UP ON STAGE
if you want blood, get up on stage
With a group composed of all women playing high-powered, sexually charged rock ’n’ roll — especially with Adrian Conner, the band’s “Angus Young,” playing guitar in a short school-girl dress and often only a bra — the guys in the audience may have other things on their mind than just music.
Guitarist Lisa Brisbois said there have been a few awkward moments.
“There have been instances, but very few actually,” Brisbois explained, of guys getting out of hand because of the band’s sexed-up energy. “I have been shocked because I expected more of that — a lot of that. … But we put off an energy: ‘Come up here at your own risk.’ Guys have come up and … the few times it happened those guys got abused.”
Glenn BurnSilver
———
TO GO TO THE SHOW
Hell’s Belles with The Jet City Fix, Thunderfist and Surface Tension
Doors open 8.p.m.
Showtime 9 p.m.
Friday, July 27
The Yukon
5400 N. Garfield Ave, Loveland
593.1661
$12.
| Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
