The Arizona pop punk group Doll Skin rolled through the Bourbon Theatre Tuesday (3/3) and they partied like it was a Friday night!
Not only did Doll Skin bring two fun openers, Flashing Lights and Fame on Fire, they also had help from Lincoln locals Miss Taken.
Miss Taken was up first and they set the bar pretty high with their raucous performance of glam inspired power pop. These guys are making a name for themselves in the Lincoln scene having just opened for Sons of Texas at the Royal Grove the week before. They have a new album coming soon and their song “Drop Dead” has been getting some airplay on Lincoln’s rock station 104.1 The Blaze. Check them out on Facebook to keep up with all the action!
Next was Flashing Lights from Joplin, Missouri. A high spirited bunch, they sounded a bit like early Blink 182 and Weezer. The band played several originals and some pretty decent covers including “Mr. Brightside” and “1985“ complete with disco ball lighting. Being relatively close to Nebraska, hopefully they’ll come through again soon.
After Flashing Lights was the pop-metal group Fame on Fire. Hailing from Palm Beach, Florida, FOF has garnered a lot of attention from covering top 40 pop and hip hop songs and putting a metal spin on it. I really liked their style and the fact that they obviously don’t take themselves too seriously. If you visit their Spotify page you’ll find a slew of covers. Everything from Kanye West and Drake to Adele and Linkin Park. During their set, FOF played some originals but also worked in Linkin Park’s “Numb,” and Arizona Zervas’ “Roxanne,” which they filmed for an upcoming video. Finally, the band ended with a rocking version of “XO Tour Llif3” by Lil Uzi Vert. As the crowd waved side to side you could tell they were pumped and ready for the final act.
After a small break it was time for the headliner, Doll Skin! By now, a decent crowd had gathered into the theatre to catch the Arizona pop punkers. I noticed on the band‘s social media that the show was originally supposed to be held in the Bourbon’s front room but they sold it out! Granted, the ”room” is a small stage and standing room for like 100 people, it’s cool to see that they surpassed that amount. As Doll Skin started to play you could tell the first few rows were filled with die-hard fans. Mostly girls in their late teens they jumped and sang along with every word.
Doll Skin sound like a cross between Paramore, Rancid, and Joan Jett. Their shredding guitars and funky bass lines had the place moving. Much of Doll Skin’s material focuses on female empowerment, social issues, and dealing the pressures of fame and substance abuse. Lead singer Sydney happily declared that she is coming up on a year of sobriety, which elicited a loud cheer from the crowd. In a world where sound cloud rappers are dropping like flies from drugs and other dangers associated with fame, it’s nice to see a younger band preaching that staying clean is cool.
With several two full length albums and several tours under their belts Doll Skin has become a force to be reckoned with. They formed in 2013 after meeting at School of Rock Scottsdale. Their goal was to put together a band that could compete at a battle of the bands. Doll Skin not only competed but won first place with a perfect score! This caught the attention of Dave Ellefson from Megadeth who was a judge for the contest. After following their local activity over the next year and seeing all of their praise and accolades from the Arizona press, Dave offered to manage and produce Doll Skin’s music.
Since then, Doll Skin has produced several E.P.s and two full length albums. They‘ve toured with Hellyeah, Otep, Social Distortion, Escape the Fate, and have made several Warped Tour appearances. 2020 will be a big year for Doll Skin. With opening slots for Anti Flag and Starbenders, I predict a break out could be on the horizon. Make sure to follow on Facebook and Instagram to see if they’re coming to a city near you!
Doll Skin’s latest release Love Is Dead And We Killed Her is available now via Hopeless Records.
Doll Skin is Sydney Dolezal lead vocals/guitar, Meghan Herring drums/co-lead vocals, Nicole Rich bass/backing vocals, and Alex Snowden lead guitar/backing vocals.
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Huge thanks to the Bourbon Theatre for setting up photo access! Galleries below.
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