Concert review: Rocket, Live at the Three Clubs

I've been on-again/off-again about launching this blog for the better part of this year, being mostly content to keep my ramblings about the manifestations of the euterpean muse limited to 140 characters. But last night I went to a concert which caused me to wake up with a song stuck in my head and an overwhelming desire to tell you about it.

Over the years I have found that a live concert, whether it be at an arena or a dive bar, that leaves me tossing and turning and not sleeping properly afterward as the notes rattle around inside my head, was a great one. This morning, after less than four hours of sleep, I find myself wide awake with Rocket's "Friends With Benefits" as my morning earworm.

Rocket came to my attention via a friend, and it's these word of mouth introductions which are key to getting up and coming bands noticed in this current era of music. Rocket is a five piece, with the traditional twin-guitar, bass, drums, vocals approach, with just the right amount of synth lines thrown in. Last night was the final performance of Rocket's month-long residency at the Three Clubs in Hollywood.

Vocalist Lauren Rocket has an undeniable sassy bravado, and commands the stage and crowd with unbridled confidence. If Rocket were to break big, her future security detail will have their work cut out for them since one of the highlights last night was her venturing into the crowd, singing and vamping right into the faces of some of the man-boys up front.

I'd familiarized myself with Rocket via the samples on their MySpace page and was immediately impressed with their glammed-up, just-produced-enough dance punk sound. It would be very interesting to hear how this would translate live. Despite a less than ideal mix from the back line and a tiny stage, Rocket was superb in their performance. Six-stringer Lauren C. Rocket pulled double duty on keys, triggering samples to round out the sound to excellent effect.

I managed to snag this video clip of "Friends With Benefits". The sound is not ideal, so I encourage you to check out their MySpace page for the proper experience. And while the song's lyric goes "just promise not to fall in love tonight", too late, I did.

One more thought: Any band that lists Jem and the Holograms as an influence and is this much fun to listen to deserves to fill your ears at least once.