They haven’t played together in five months (since October 23, for those keeping score at home), and, judging from the swelling crowd’s reaction to an eight-song set, the ladies of Love Pentagon had been sorely missed. As Saturday’s penultimate Beauty Bar set proved, neither the darkly danceable, synthed-out psychedelic pop nor the arresting visual aspect of their show has waned in the interim. The Top 5 eyeball-pleasers:
5. The superhero costumes are long gone (forever destroyed by zombie blood, explained frontwoman Christina Z). Instead, the theme of the evening was “Tacky Dresses.”
4. The arrival of a costumed, dancing bear? cheetah? spotted weasel? onstage who assumed maraca-and-tambourine duties during “People Who Expect Nothing Will Never Be Disappointed.” Much like Superman/Clark Kent, Jeff “The Doodler” Madlambayan of Pan de Sal was nowhere to been seen during the appearance.
3. The ocean of waving arms at the onset of the just-committed-to-tape-in December “Overboard,” a narrative that channels both The Decemberists and Keira Knightley’s Pirates of the Caribbean bustline.
2. Christina Z’s hammering vocal-and-mallet assault during an aggressive closer, the also-recently-recorded “Time to Collect Those Goods.” How quickly can we get “The Bonham of glockenspiel” to catch on?
1. The impossibly wide grins perma-plastered not merely on the band’s faces, but on the ecstatic audience as well.
In other LP news, 2007’s Bang! may soon find itself with a new musical sibling, as plans are underway to release a new EP or participate in a seven-inch split. A week-long summer jaunt has also been discussed. “We will tour again,” bassist Judi Brown has promised. “Love Pentagon is still near and dear to our hearts.”
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