Bones
Plack Blague
The Rye Room/The Bourbon Theater
Lincoln, Nebraska
March 28th, 2018
It’s ok if you’ve never heard of BONES before. Though they’ve been around for a few years, having started off in England, they just recently made their mark in the U.S. after a run with Highly Suspect. That tour lead directly to the band being offered a slot on Howard Stern’s tribute show to the late David Bowie, with BONES covering I’m Afraid of American (ala Nine Inch Nails). After an incredible 7 shows in 5 days during SXSW, Bones hit the road for their first headlining U.S. tour. What started off as a handful of dates turned into the band closing out March with over a dozen stops in the central states.
Lincoln’s own Disco Leather Daddy, Plack Blague, opened tonight’s show with his unique brand of industrial dance music. Plack Blague’s live show is one that has to be seen in person. Some of the fun of seeing Plack Blague live is the reaction of fans who are seeing it for the first time. Leather jacket, a spiked cod piece, and ass-less chaps gyrating on stage to some of the heaviest industrial music I’ve ever heard.
It took a few songs for the initial shock factor to wear off, but once everyone was comfortable with what they were seeing, more than a few in attendance found their groove and danced along.
Plack Blague is certainly not a band you’d expect to come out of Nebraska, but thankfully he has.
BONES’ live show, however, was nothing like I had expected it to be. Vocalist and guitarist Rosie, guitarist Carmen, and touring drummer Heavy ruled the stage for nearly an hour. The band’s studio cuts have an industrial element to them, but their live shows are full on rock and metal with a hint of electronic.
As poignant as they are harsh, BONES commanded the attention of the entire crowd.
The uprising popularity of BONES shouldn’t surprise anyone though. If you look around at the musical landscape of 2018, you’ll find it refreshing to have a band that creates authentic music. In an era ruled by prefabricated auto-tuned youtube stars, we have ‘Beautiful Is Boring’ and ‘Girls Can’t Play Guitar” kicking all sorts of ass.
Though only having officially released 4 songs on iTunes, more than a few fans sang along with every song played. Vocalist Rosie, when not bouncing around the stage, addressed the crowd several times to elaborate on songs’ meanings. The band recently decided to add Life Is For the Living to their live set. Though they were unsure how well the “slower song” would be received, it was nice to take a breather before the band thrashed back into their heavier songs.
As much as I loved hearing BONES’ original music, I was excited the band chose to play their cover of David Bowie’s I’m Afraid of Americans. While guitarist and co-founder Carmen tuned her instrument, Rosie assured us that the British duo is not afraid of Americans.
“Wouldn’t it be weird if on our first headlining tour, we decided to play this song about being afraid of you all and people not knowing it though that we were afraid of you all? We’re not afraid of Americans. In fact, you all seem very nice.”
While the track was originally recorded by Bowie and Brian Eno for the 1995 Outside album, it was finally redone for 1997’s Earthling. The track was a highlight of the David Bowie/Nine Inch Nails collaborations, and it’s the NIN remix version that BONES’ cover takes a nod from. The track was recently recorded for Howard Stern’s Bowie Tribute album. Carmen said to keep an eye out as the track would eventually be released.
The most poignant time of the evening though was Rosie’s introduction to Beautiful Is Boring. Arguably their most popular track, the song is about embracing your flaws and loving yourself.
“Scars tell stories. I would much rather hear those stories than a boring life from someone who’s not lived life,” she told the crowd.
The story behind Girls Can’t Play Guitar was borderline funny, especially because it’s undoubtedly true. A random guy had approved the duo in their hometown, near London, and, even though admitted that he was impressed with their live show, told them they’d never amount to any kind of band. The reason? Because girls cannot biologically play guitar. He elaborated by saying it was because girls have smaller hands. Carmen’s solo during Rosie’s story proved him wrong.
As the band closed out their set, Rosie set down her guitar and let Carmen take the lead.
The performance of their latest single, Limbs, found the ladies writhing around on the stage. Closing their set with Pretty Waste, Rosie hopped off the stage and danced around with the crowd. Participation is a must for a BONES concert.
BONES did exactly what they should have during their live set; They put on a brilliant concert and left the crowd wanting more. They will be one of those bands that, in an era dominated by some of the worst music since primitive man first started pounding on rocks with sticks and howling at the moon, will help shape the current rock and metal genres. That was proven to a crowd of fans who’d joined the band on their stop in Nebraska.
BONES are creating a new form of rock and roll, and placing themselves firmly within the 31st century.
