The Deal: Rough-and-ready girl group with something to say and the rock and roll chops to back it up.
The Good: Don’t confuse this girl group with the Go Gos. The Gore Gore Girls are not a fluffy pop group. “Deep down inside I’m a selfish witch/ one half tomboy and one half bitch/ breaking hearts is what I do/ getting through to creeps like you,” founder Amy Gore sings on “Pleasure Unit.” Pop that, motherfucker. It’s hard-core rock and roll with a ’60s girl group backlash, like some unholy alliance of the Shirelles and the Ramones, with plenty of attitude and some pretty decent guitar skills as well. It has a Joan Jett junior feel, rough and in your face, but there are still soft spots like “Sweet Potato,” where The Gore Gore girls reveal their ideal man: “big and strong full of love.” But don’t mistake mushy for weakness — slip up and these bad girls’ll knock you on your ass and stomp you to pieces under their go-go boots.
The Bad: Unless they have strong management and tour constantly to keep the word of mouth buzz going, they’re in danger of being perceived as a short-term novelty band. Its too bad because they do have talent and a sense of humor — its all gonna be up to marketing and perseverance.
The Verdict: Pick it up. These girls are bad — and that’s good.
This article appears in Sep 5-11, 2007.
