Lunachicks

by John DouganPart feminist-inspired riot grrrl band, part gross-out performance art, part hard rock band, New York City's Lunachicks are tastelessly in-your-face and proud of it (the back cover of their LP Binge and Purge showed them covered in fake vomit). Fronted by Theo Kogan, whose on-stage gear consisted of platform shoes, short dresses, surreal makeup, and huge wigs, the L-Chicks grind out a reasonable, messy amalgam of Ramones/Dictators high-energy guitar rock. Song subjects include trashy '70s TV icons ("Jan Brady"), suffering after consuming too much junk food ("Binge and Purge"), and tabloid-style hysteria ("Babysitters on Acid"). Not particularly artful, the Lunachicks are wild and funny, and the music can be pretty hot, but the humor and the rock don't hold up after repeated spins. No matter what your tolerance for this kind of rock is, you'd be better off listening to L7, Bratmobile, Bikini Kill, Joan Jett, or Huggy Bear first, and then finding time for the mixed blessings of the Lunachicks.