About ten years ago, a little duo from The Valley in California called She Wants Revenge emerged out their influences, The Cure and Bahaus, to bring a new and intriguing sound full of love, pain and lust. Lyrics indicating heart-ache and complicated sexual encounters combined with perfectly sensual rhythms led to three albums from the group; She Wants Revenge, This Is Forever, Valley Heart. The duo toured internationally with the likes of Placebo and Depeche Mode. They featured the beautiful Shirley Manson from Garbage on the video for “These Things.” They sold countless records but after their third album in 2011, fans were sad to find that they had announced an indefinite hiatus.
For those of us who were there at inception, late last year we were ecstatic to hear a classic tune called “Tear You Apart” during a very provocative scene of the hit TV show American Horror Story: Hotel. This song was the perfect soundtrack for this appealing and explicit first episode of the season and it quickly reappeared at the top of the charts. They were introduced to a whole new audience and rightfully so, a whole new fan base was born.
More excitement came when they began to announce concert dates. The reunion took place at the beautiful Fonda Theatre in Hollywood for two sold out shows; it was the perfect homecoming redemption. On the night of February 18, 2016, a packed house with an eccentric variety of people eagerly awaited their return to the stage. Opening DJ Bystander commenced the night and warmed-up the crowd.
The temperature turned up a notch when slightly more mature Justin Warfield and Adam Bravin appeared on stage along with guests. No time was wasted as they immediately gave their fans what they wanted and began their set with “Red Flags and Long Nights”, “These Things” and “I Don’t Want to Fall in Love.” They proceeded with a twelve-song set and granted a generous six-song encore ending with “Replacement” and “Rachael”. After several years away from the spotlight, She Wants Revenge stepped right back into it flawlessly as if they never left.
Expressions to the audience of excitement and gratitude came from Justin and possible hints at a lengthy and permanent return. Let’s hope so!
