On the night of Walpurgis Night, when the pleasant gathering and partying at Boxhagener Platz in Berlin – Friedrichshain usually peaks around midnight, Lovelite nearby hosted the record release party for the Berlin-based KAMIKAZE QUEENS. As is fitting for a long weekend, we arrived at Lovelite around 10:30 PM, well-fed and ready for the night. The entrance, somewhat hidden behind a massive iron door, was only easy to find because a few people were standing in front of the gate. Behind the gate was a courtyard flanked by two low buildings. The building on the right used to be a car workshop, and the Lovelite was in the left building. I guess that used to be a recording studio. Once inside, we first inspected the club. It was our first time in this venue. It’s nice, a bit labyrinthine, worn down, and looks like the last guests will leave only in the early morning hours. Lovelite has ample space for 150 people, a separate dance floor, and a combined dance and concert area. There’s also a bar, and… yes, and what? Where were the people? The club was still empty, and it was supposed to start at 11:00 PM. The audience gradually trickled into the club, but it was clear that it wouldn’t start on time.
After midnight, the opening act took the stage. There were two women who not only looked great but could also sing fantastically. They call themselves VERMILLION LIES, and while one played guitar almost continuously, the other accompanied her on typewriter, washboard, keyboard, marionettes, and drummed some songs on a mysterious black box. The fantastic singing and the sincerity that the two girls displayed were captivating. The music is hard to categorize, somewhere between hillbilly, country, trash, dirty blues, and singer/songwriter. The two girls certainly knew how to entertain, although much was not visible for the back rows due to the relatively low stage. The band must definitely have fans, as two days later, the sisters played at Admiralspalast in Berlin. VERMILLION LIES were consistently good. The two sisters designed their show in an exotic and varied manner.
After 40 minutes and an encore, the first band finished, and the club was now well-filled. A relatively older audience mixed with freaks of all kinds to see the main act of the evening. KAMIKAZE QUEENS!
The five took a little while to come on stage, allowing everyone to grab a drink at the bar to cool off. It had gotten quite warm in the hall, and when the band finally took the stage, it promised to be a hot evening from the start.
The two singers, Trinity and Mad Kate, were particularly captivating that evening. They didn’t hold back with their charms. Their singing and seductive, erotic dancing captivated the audience. Musically situated somewhere between dirty rock’n’roll, punk rock, and rockabilly, KAMIKAZE QUEENS have their very own sound. The band played perfectly together. The sound was great. After a few songs, there was an unexpected pause. A string on the double bass had broken and needed to be replaced. I hadn’t seen that before. It took a few minutes before it kicked off again. During this time, guitarist Tex Morton and drummer Lipps played some improvised intermission music that sounded good and kept the audience in front of the stage. Once the new string was on, they continued. Songs like “Sick Inside,” “Bad Bad Boy,” or the hard-hitting “2 Minutes Fuck” got people dancing and letting loose. Many women were in the front rows dancing, which I didn’t expect. But it was very pleasant, as no one had the idea to dance some weird pogo. The band played for a long time, and as far as I can remember, they played the entire album “Voluptuous Panic” as well as some other songs. It was truly a hot evening. Was it 2:00 AM or rather 2:30 AM when the lights came on after an encore and the DJ took over? I’m not exactly sure. I only know that everyone rushed to the bar to replenish their fluids.
Around 3:00 AM, we headed home with the “NEW ROSE PUNKROCK – RADIO” mobile.
KAMIKAZE QUEENS are getting better from gig to gig. It was a great evening, full of dirty rock’n’roll and burlesque dance.