LOS ANGELES, CA- The Barb Wire Dolls is a greek punk band that was championed by the legendary Sunset Strip stalwart, and Motörhead frontman, Lemmy Kilmister. Earlier this year, the Barb Wire Dolls announced that they would be taking a little hiatus, but that couldn’t stop the band’s lead singer, IQueen, and lead guitarist, Pyn Doll, from letting the music flow.
IQueen and Pyn Doll, along with Gabe Maska on bass, and Kevin Tylor on drums, formed a new band, Royal Distortion, and they have been rocking the Sunset Strip non-stop for the past few months. Following a month-long residency at the Viper Room, the Whisky A Go-Go signed them up for a two month residency starting in May and continuing through June. I was able to catch their performance on Memorial Day, and the performance would give me a bit of a glimpse into what IQueen and company have up their sleeves.
I didn’t know too much about Royal Distortion’s music coming into the gig. Truth be told, I was only really familiar with the one song that they currently have up on Spotify:
“Hole In My Life” suggested a departure from the rough around the edges punk attack that I was familiar with through the Barb Wire Dolls (“Revolution” is on one of my punk playlists on iTunes), and the music they performed on the Whisky A Go-Go stage confirmed my forecast.
Royal Distortion’s music is definitely rock and roll, and still packs a punch, but it’s also quite melodic. I was expecting IQueen to start shouting lyrics at some point, like she does on Barb Wire Doll’s “Heart Attack”, but there was a clear attention to melody and harmony on the band’s new music that gives the sonics a real polished sound.
The performance was impressive and all of the players performed like a tightly knit group, but it was IQueen’s charisma that had the room enamored with her. She’s clearly a stage-veteran as she knew exactly how and when to play to the audience, and how to feed off the energy she received from the room. Her performance alone is worth the price of admission.
But since the residency gigs at the Whisky are free, you have no excuse. You should head on out to the Sunset Strip to catch a band in its well developed infancy and rock out like Lemmy would want you to.
Follow Royal Distortion on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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