Girl rock lives, and its name is Hinds. The charismatic, chord-slashing quartet played at San Francisco's Rickshaw Stop last night to a sold out crowd, and immediately incited a good-vibe filled mosh pit of love. These are pretty girls who aren't allowed to sound ugly, going for the fuzz and the stomp over precision.
With just one full album out so far, Hinds has developed a strong following since their post-SXSW tour in 2015. Their charm makes it easy to say why. Addressing the crowd in Spanish-accented English (the band originally hails from Madrid), singer/guitarist Ana Perrote didn't hold back as she announced that she, "loved having these openers, because it gives us time to get drunk!" holding a Tecate aloft in a good-natured cheers to the fans. "We recognize a lot of you from last year, it's so cool that we're all here again."
The music stands up to a live performance, too. If anything, the dulcet, almost surf rock chill of the album transitions into more full-fledged garage punk, with Perrote and Carlotta Cosials (also on guitar and vocals), slashing chords and dominating the make with alternating vigor. "Bamboo," which plays like a playful middle finger to '60s girl group pop, took on a new, vigorous life live.
Nowhere was the band's power more prominent than their closing track, "Castigadas En El Granero." Perrote and Cosialis stood flank-to-flank with bass player Ade Martin, instruments pointing to the crowd, strumming alternating chords in sync. They looked nothing so much like a badass team of supergirls, here to save us from a world of twee female musicians. Given the amount of fun they seem to be having, I have no doubt they'll succeed.
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