Live Review: L7, Nerve Quakes

Nerve Quakes have definitely been hitting their stride in recent months. This is their second international support in under a week, and they truly stepped up their game playing to a larger crowd on a larger stage. They brought more 'punk' to their show for the evening with the rhythm section providing a backbeat that was built upon with layers of distorted guitar and dissonant synths. It's only a matter of time until we lose these guys to the eastern states.

It has been 15 years since punk-grunge-metal act L7 went on indefinite hiatus, but a fan-funded documentary has finally brought them back together. Age has not reduced the power or aggression of the band who played a show that would silence any detractors.

There was a quick final sound-check before Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, Jennifer Finch and Demetra Plakas stormed the stage. Obviously over 30 years have passed since they stormed onto the LA scene, but L7 were still full of the infectious energy and snarling sass they were known for throughout the '80s and '90s.

The crowd mainly comprised punters in their 30s and 40s who rocked out hard. The band dropped their most popular track Andres second in the set. Classics like Fuel My Fire, Crackpot Baby and Freak Magnet just pushed the energy higher and higher. Finch was easily the most entertaining of the four. Barefoot, she ran madly around the stage playing her bass behind her back, over her head and while headbanging almost non-stop — her energy and enthusiasm was almost insane.

After a quick break, they came back out for an encore. Opening with a cover of American Society by Eddie & The Subtitles, they quickly followed with two final classics: Pretend We're Dead and Fast And Frightening. Finch grabbed a camera and began taking crowd snaps and band pics of the happy-yet-spent group.