Photos and Review by Jeff Palmucci
Butcher Babies photos HERE
Amaranthe photos HERE
The Butcher Babies and Amaranthe played at the Jewel Nightclub last week. This is the second show I shot at this venue, and I’m amazed at the big acts they are able to sign up for this very small club. The Butcher Babies are coming back to Boston in January to the House of Blues, which is a much bigger venue. The next band I’m (hopefully) shooting at the Jewel is Pop Evil, who are also playing much larger venues. This is a great place to see a band up close and personal.
There were a couple of opening bands before the Butcher Babies came on. I was pretty impressed by Lullwater. They were less shouty, more mainstream rock than the headliners and put on a great show. They also have some pretty cool merch based on their artsy album cover art. Bought my daughter a Tug of War t-shirt. She loves it.
The Butcher Babies came up next, and you should check out the photos. Now, before you accuse me of exploiting female artists for their good looks, you should check out this story. That’s right, I exploit male artists for their looks too. I’m no sexist!
I don’t think I’m being out of line pointing out that the girls are smoking hot. They put on a high-spirited and incredibly hard rocking show. It’s an interesting combination: female vocalists shouting out heavy tunes. Usually, you’d see female band leads taking a more clean vocal, laid-back approach. Not these gals. In fact, when my wife sees these photos, I’m sure I’ll be having a little deju vu, except then I’ll only have one hot chick yelling at me instead of two.
Amaranthe was up next. You’ve got to appreciate a band like this. They have their own unique style that you don’t quite hear anywhere else. I’ve got to admit that I was at a loss for words describing these guys, so I went to Wikipedia to see what the internet had to say. They use the term “dance-metal”, which I don’t think is quite right. Their style is a kind of electronic metal. Hard metal with a lot of electronic keyboard mixed in. Lead Elize Ryd’s more melodic vocals nicely balances Henrik Englund shouty accompaniment. Last year’s studio album, Massive Addictive, is loaded with good tunes. My favorites: Drop Dead Cynical and Massive Addictive. My daughter, whose musical tastes I’ve written about before, is a big fan of Digital World. They covered all of these during their lengthy 21 song set at the Jewel.
It was a great night of music, and I recommend you check them out. And remember, their eyes are up there.
Amaranthe and the Butcher Babies at the Jewel Nightclub – Manchester, NH
