To the uninitiated, Valient Thorr may seem to be a joke band, with its very metal logo, backstory about having crash landed their spaceship from Venus, Ramonesesque names (Storm Thorr, Sadat Thorr, Bjorn Thorr, etc.), wrestling boots and denim vests, but a couple songs into their set it becomes very clear that this is no joke, this is rock and roll, man. An energetic and loose (dare I say groovy?) rhythm section, dueling Les Pauls, and one of the most engaging front men in rock, Valient Himself, who WILL overwhelm you with his positive energy, unexpected stamina, unconventional charisma and flat out ability to actually sing. Metalsucks named Valient Himself the #2 modern metal vocalist, hell, even the ever cranky, oh so hip, Pitchfork likes Valient Thorr.
What does all this mean? It means this show was a lot of fun and you should definitely catch them on one of their neverending tours.
What can I say about Crazy Bag Lady that we haven’t said before? Great songs, overflowing energy, super tight set. I can’t remember the last time I saw a sub par Crazy Bag Lady show, and I see them more than a little. Perfect opener for Valient Thorr, who gave Crazy Bag Lady one of the most sincere opening band shout outs that I’ve seen. Really cool stuff all around at The Jinx.
Oh, and bonus points for multiple Athon shout outs and the Van Damme masterpiece Bloodsport playing on the screen during the show. Lots more photos after the jump:
