by Ivana Markotic

Girls Concert at Phoenix

“Show us your tits!” A man in the audience demands. An expected drunk holler for a band named Girls, however this group of Girls is made up of guys. Such is the irony in the name of San Francisco rockers Girls, founded by Christopher Owens and Chet JR White in 2007.

Six months since their last visit to Toronto, Girls returned to a grander stage at the Phoenix venue on April 9th. Touring in support of their album, Album (simplicity is key, parody is a plus) one of the most buzzed about bands of 2009 first made their introduction in Toronto at the El Mocambo; as the buzz peaked, round two saw them at the Phoenix. And as far as graduation in musical stages acts as a relativity scale of success in Toronto, if they manage to continue the streak of performance and a solid follow-up album by 2011-2012, we should see them at the Kool Haus, maybe.

This time around, Girls brought an opening act, California’s newest It band, Dum Dum Girls (females included). Possessing the 1960s aura of girl group, yet dressed to kill in all black and combining lo-fi and distortion, they are anything but a 1960s girl group. Opening their set with the Rolling Stones’ “Play With Fire” they quickly dwelled into their own material from their debut LP, I Will Be. Ladies and gentlemen, these girls are something to get excited about.

Girls took the stage around 10:30, with Owens’ long hair strategically hanging to one side, acting like a shield and guitar hoisted up high to his chest. The ‘60s rock theme riding on the sound wave of the Beach Boys meets lo-fi simplicity contains simple lyrics that conjure up images of girls, sunshine, love and all things just short of a unicorn.

Taking the female as the muse and the focal point of the album, it is easy to find dark moments under all the happiness with lines like “obsession is my favourite drug” as soon as the second song, “God Damned” began. By “Ghost Mouth” it was difficult to not feel longing, especially under the red lights of the Phoenix as Owens crooned “she wanted it all, but she didn’t want me.”

Once the happy beat was replaced with a harmonica, guys gradually molded with the girls they were with and began swaying and suddenly—I kid you not– I was at a high school dance, disco ball activated illuminating the crowd in patches of silver and all.

By the end, the beat was raised again with a perfectly executed explosion of sound by saving the best (and most recognizable) songs “Morning Light” and “Lust for Life.” Leaving the crowd on such a high note resulted in a speedy return on stage for an encore that after two songs left the band wondering whether to continue with one more song. Taking a moment to decide on a song, they finished the night with a great cover of the classic Everly Brothers’ song “All I Have To Do Is Dream.”

I liked the Album, but the show secured my liking in Girls. I like Girls, I like them a lot.