She Wants Revenge courtesy of APA
Girls really dig a dreamy goth guy with a guitar. There’s no argument to be made there — it’s the male counterpart to the manic pixie dream girl. She Wants Revenge are just such a band of dudes who came out of the Myspace-era early aughts. Seemingly ready for Hot Topic mall mania stardom, the band did pretty well for themselves early on, having had their music included on “American Horror Story,” “Fringe” and “The Number 23.” All of these outlets have an otherworldly, dark feel to them; so, perfect for post-punk goth rockers to sink their teeth into. Yet in 2012 the band went on indefinite hiatus.
Three years later, however, the band’s signature song “Tear You Apart” resurfaced on the premiere episode of “American Horror Story: Hotel,” essentially coaxing the fellas out of hiding. While it is good to let the dust settle when you’re a touring act, it is always nice to get back in the saddle. Since 2015, She Wants Revenge have been touring, ready to make a splash in the latter half of the 20-teens. After a well received tenth anniversary tour in 2016, fans have been eagerly awaiting a new record. But nothing since 2011, leaving us wondering, “Where are you guys at with that?”
There’s a hole in the market, left when She Wants Revenge, Interpol and the dark bands of the early aughts went into their caves to dream up new ideas. Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for She Wants Revenge to bring back the halcyon days of black eyeliner, angular guitars and smart-dressed guys singing about dark things. Perhaps we can blame Obama for the downturn in moody output over the past couple of years? When the future looks bright who wants to hear about the dark underpinnings of midnight trysts in sketchy places with creepy people? I mean, there’s a time and place for everything, perhaps that time is coming back? We eagerly await the return of the moody rocker boys to the studio. In the meantime there’s always the live show, which is always what counts anyway.
She Wants Revenge, with Boston Marriage and Grinder 6, play May 19 at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach sub-culture.org ~ Tim Moffatt
