The crossover from actor to singer/musician is one of the toughest in the twin arenas of art and entertainment; one only has to look at the mixed fortunes of, eg: Billy Bob Thornton the recording artist to see that the public's attitude to this move can be tricky to predict. This brings us to Juliette Lewis: always one to capture this hack's attention with her tough yet vulnerable character portrayals and quirky sex appeal, I was curious the moment I heard she'd put movies on the back burner to concentrate on her rock 'n' roll band.
I was fearful that she may be one to fall into the aforementioned trap, but having heard her singing voice in a couple of movies I thought she had a shot and I was rooting for her before I even heard a note. Their 'Four On The Floor' album is - as its title suggests - a straight-up driving rock 'n' roll record: a little punky here, a bit melodic there - but on stage the Licks somehow transcend such compartmentalisation, and what's more it seems almost effortless - they are just that cool.
This is a fantastic band and I'm intentionally referring the band as a unit here (as opposed to "Juliette & others") as they truly are a unit - amazing considering there have been a few lineup shuffles to deal with during their lifespan. The band do however know who the star of the show is and they let her go and just get on with it. The way she emotes in the softer sections and the way the screws loosen in the fired-up or angry moments are clues as to Juliette's "day-job" (as she put it) and while she interacts with looks and gestures with each of her bandmates, she does the same with members of the crowd - from the front to the back the room is in her hand.
"Hot Kiss", "Get Up", "Pray For The Band Latoya", "Inside The Cage" and personal favourite "Purgatory Blues" are all highlights along with an energised cover of AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (a few fudged lyrics but who cares..?) and show closer "You're Speaking My Language" featuring an extended middle section during which the whole band swapped instruments... without stopping!
They said they'd be back in a year ("What's a year?") So if you missed them this time don't make the same mistake then.
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