concert review: Nico Vega & Metric @ Fox Theatre 24 March

It is a rare luxury to be in the presence of a lady frontwoman who can really rock. Odds are, they will underwhelm us and our insatiable thirst for thrashing sound and bravado. That being said, Wednesday night at Oakland’s Fox Theatre was a mixed bag in the badass department. The night started off extremely strong, with LA’s Nico Vega absolutely killing it. So much noise was made by a measly three people, and the glittery-clad lead singer Asia captivated the audience with her intense vocal deliveries, spasmic dancing and passionate interaction with the band’s guitarist. At one point, she had thrown herself on the floor of the stage and looked as though she was experiencing some sort of sexual ecstasy through the music. Most of the songs were loud and powerful, abundant with declarations of fearlessness and independence, but they managed to fit in a couple of more delicately brooding tunes in their spellbinding raucous set. The crowd was chanting along to songs they had never heard before, and spirits ran high as Nico Vega set forth their plans for world domination through music.

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The second opener was called Codeine Velvet Club and it also featured a female leading lady, but collaboratively, as there was a guy singing lead vocals at the same time. The band, which had horn sections and classic guitar riffs, had a great 50’s feel, but with a bit of an edgy hard rock twist. They weren’t spectacular, but they weren’t half bad. Unfortunately for the audience, however, the night’s trend of declining musical excellence carried on to the headlining slot, Metric.

Emily Haines has a voice for studio. It was not fitting for such a big venue, but I can’t imagine it working well at a smaller club either. Everything was very internalized, because she does not project her voice whilst singing, a real problem for the live experience. The rest of the band delivered a very run of the mill musical backbone, there wasn’t much improvisation or quirkiness in the air. Emily danced around stage a bit but it did not make up for the flat sound that coerced me to do something I rarely ever do, and leave midway through the band’s set. When it came down to it, even the band’s mesmerizing singles did not translate well on stage. Or even translate at all.