Sex, sin and rock 'n' roll

IN RUINS

Smokin’ girls, sloshing beer, screeching guitar riffs and a good old-fashioned dose of unadulterated ribaldry and destruction were at the core of the Ruiners, Bomb Pops and Peter Torque bill at the New Way on Friday night.

Tim Pop of the Bomb Pops summed up the lighthearted chaotic disarray of the tiny bar in Ferndale in one aptly succinct sentence: “Now that was a rock show.”

And, indeed, sex, drugs (well, at least alcohol and nicotine) and rock ‘n’ roll oozed thick in the air that evening — not to mention shredded paper. This particular hedonistic onslaught kicked off with the hot-rod rock of Peter Torque, complete with dancing dolls Danielle Arsenal and Matrix. Both of the lasses donned long black wigs, cut-off jeans and flowered tops for the “daisy Duke gone bad” look; Arsenal slipped on a pair of reflective ’70s shades and commented that she looked a bit like Johnny Flash of the Lanternjack — who was later spotted at the show.

Next up, the irresistibly catchy punk pop tunes of the Bomb Pops. Lovely lead vocalist Natatlie Pop is a professional hair and makeup babe at London Calling, and a whole slew of her ever-stylish colleagues turned up in a show of support.

Also spotted: Jackie O of the now defunct Stroker Ace and Mira Hill.

Up next, the aptly named Ruiners, who, well, like to ruin things. A lot of things, ranging from large appliances to stuffed animals. For this particular gig in such a cramped venue, the band wisely decided to pass on any sharp implements and blunt heavy objects, and instead opted to bring along about a dozen bags of shredded paper and confetti, as well as a trampoline and a toy stuffed panther, which quickly met a rather violent demise.

After a true rock ’n’ roll grand entrance involving a godawful loud motorbike, the bags were eagerly torn into, and next thing you knew there was more crap flying through the air than at a ticker tape parade. The Ruinettes quickly snatched up the wads of shredded paper to use as makeshift pom-poms, exuberantly egging on the crowd which was whipped into a frenzy of moshing, jumping, screaming and confetti-hurling — kinda like a slumber party pillow fight with a fuel injection of testosterone. Despite getting whacked in the face numerous times with a beer-soaked panther’s tail, I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun.

QUEEN BABE

Still covered in bits of paper and Styrofoam stuffing, I applied a fresh coat of glitter and traipsed out to the Magic Stick on Saturday for the glam-o-rama spectacle of the Put-a-pons, Queen Bee and the Trash Brats.

Queen Bee has had a number of lineup changes over the years, as the band’s sound has gradually grown and evolved to encompass a number of different genres. This was the first time I had seen the group with their recent addition, Rachel May from Broadzilla, on lead guitar. All I can say is I had a difficult time picking my jaw up off the floor. Miss May looks as sweet as a peach, but she’ll rip through her guitar with a fury that blows away the majority of Detroit’s bloated, machismo male guitarists. Girl, you rock!

And let’s not forget the gorgeous Karen Neal, an enticing blend of glitter and grit layered over sexiness and scariness. Alternating between a cute widdle baby voice and a demon-possessed guttural howl, Neal both turns on and frightens the hell out of her male fans as she wails away on her bass in sultry costumes she designs herself. Suffice to say, more than a few men in the audience were feeling particularly inadequate and humbled by the these two talented ladies — now that, my friend, is Girl Power. In between acts I chatted with Killa Kim Zilla, also of Broadzilla, Karen Lackner, assorted members of the Trash Brats decked out in their endearingly trampy women’s clothing, and one of the nicest couples in the city, Kirk Morrison of the Dead Heroes and his wife Roxy. The two of them looked cute as ever, but a bit weary, as Roxy explained they were exhausted from a whirlwind tour that required many back-to-back shows and some nasty 12-hour drives. You can catch the Dead Heroes this Saturday at the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti, as they play the Detroit Punk City CD release party, along with the Intoxicats.

GORE NO MORE

Here’s some band gossip for you: 12 Angry Steps have decided to call it quits and will perform their last show Dec. 29 at the Magic Stick.

Also, the Gore Gore Girls will experience a lineup change, as bassist Melody Licious and drummer Monica have decided to leave the band to pursue other musical ventures; however, they will still appear on the band’s upcoming CD. Your last chance to catch the current lineup will be with the Murder City Wrecks at the Magic Stick on Nov. 21 — the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Go check them out and carry on the tradition of sitting down for a Thanksgiving meal with a robust hangover — your family and relatives are going to give you a headache anyway, so you might as well beat them to the punch.