Bridezilla have done more support slots in recent times than a pile of scaffolding. I haven't checked, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were supporting RZA at his upcoming Aussie shows.
And listening to their debut LP, The Last Dance it's easy to understand why they've scored so many great gigs. In fact, before listening to this album, I'd always dismissed Bridezilla as one of those ‘hype bands' that pop up every few years, support a shitload of acts on tour, put out one mediocre record and then fade into nothingness.
Only thing is Bridezilla haven't put out a mediocre record. They've put out a really great one that does an amazing job of melding their fucked up mix of instruments (guitar, vox, drums, saxophone and violin), without making them sound like a bunch of pretentious wank biscuits.
The saxophone (normally my most hated of instruments) and the violin work together to create a droning, haunting sound that permeates and adds depth to all their songs (see in particular Lunar Eclipse and Beaches).
Meanwhile, the guitar riffs are classic, especially the opening lick on Tailback. And of course Holiday Sidewinder's vocals add hundreds and thousands to the cake - breathily hovering through the music while simultaneously slinging a giant set of cahones.
The Last Dance is also an album that doesn't pigeon hole the band to any particular kind of musical slot. Perhaps that's why they are so adaptable when it comes to support gigs. They worked really well as an opener for prog-folkers The Decemberists' recent tour, and I'm sure they'll rip the nut sacks off a few punters on their upcoming warm up spots for The Cribs and The Mess Hall on their respective national tours.
In an Australian musical landscape where successful female musicians are as boring and similar as bread sandwiches (go hi-five yourselves Sarah Blasko and Lisa Mitchell) Bridezilla stand out like marmalade – a sexy and unique condiment, bursting with flavour. And The Last Dance is a particularly tasty jar of marmalade.
Originally published in Polaroids of Androids
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