Girls Against Boys
CBGB, New York City, March 19, 1998

Indie rockdom is awash in speculation about what former Touch and Go Records stalwarts Girls Against Boys' upcoming major-label debut will sound like. For the most part, stabs at answers have voiced the usual worries of selling out and artistic corruption by the corporate greed machine. Judging from the evidence presented on a recent Thursday evening at New York's CBGB, however, longtime GVSB fans and musical moralists alike have very little to worry about.

Playing to a sold out hometown crowd on the second to last night of a three-day mini tour, Eli Janney, Scott McCloud, Alexis Fleisig and Johnny Temple showcased a number of tunes from the upcoming Freak*on*ica (due on Geffen in early June). As the title suggests, GVSB, no strangers to keyboards, have been bitten by the electronica bug. Unfortunately, the band's attempts to embellish its signature two-bass-driven sludgy, funky sound with samples fell a bit short in this live setting. Everytime Janney unstrapped his bass to bang on the keyboard, whatever sounds he was making were drowned out by the ferocity of the rest of the band -- a forgivable problem, perhaps, considering these songs have been played live so few times.

Whatever their dynamics troubles, GVSB onstage is still an overpowering experience. One new song, "Psycho Future," began slowly and then rumbled off into an oblivion of humping bass, thrashing drums and angular guitar, on top of which singer Scott McCloud barked some Orwellian-inspired nightmare. Later in the set, another new song, "American Blackhole," relied on a similar formula, but added a funkier backbone. Dipping into their back catalog, the familiar grind of "Bullet Proof Cupid" moved the jam-packed crowd of sweaty hipsters to groove along.

By the time the set was up, the band looked spent and pleased, as did the crowd. But the party wasn't over yet. Stepping to the mike after the last of three encores, McCloud invited everyone downstairs to dance some more to old school rap, soul, funk and disco records spun by the band; it's an after party that GVSB have said they might put on following every future show. Does it sound like the lads have sold out?

IAN LANDAU