Photos by Holly Homan
Wednesday evening I ventured out to the tiny Sunset Tavern to see The Darts. The Darts are a four-piece all women band hailing from Phoenix and the Pacific Northwest. These gals are quintessential riot girls. Fronted by Nicole Laurenne, she was part seductress and oozed charisma. If her charisma had been a can of spray paint everyone in attendance would have been doused. She never stood still as she strutted, danced and kicked up her heels, clad in sequin-laden knee high cowboy boots. She did all this while spinning about and punching out chords on a Farfisa. Rebecca Davidson (guitar) had long dark hair, the top of which was teased into a bit of a beehive. She churned out power chords that rattled the floor. Rikki Styxx (drums) spewed her own spattering of charm as she slammed away. Lindsey Scarey rounded out this band with her driving bass. They all four were dressed all in black, which would have made them look foreboding if it weren’t for the non stop charm they exhibited.
This is a band that obviously love playing together. Nicole would ham it up with them and they’d return the “favor.”
The Darts are a powerhouse who know how to put on a show!
Opening the night was an LA/Seattle based trio called Bexley. Bexley is fronted by the energetic dynamo bass player Amanda Hardy and her husband guitarist Steve Costello. Amanda had pipes and a look that reminded me of Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde fame. Bexley plays a grungy, melodic style and pack a powerful punch for a trio.
