Although Black Kids headlined Monday night’s show at the Abbey Pub, the experience of the night was a group effort by a rocktastic trio that complemented each other beyond concerns of out-doing each other. The blend of Team Band’s deluded punk, The Virgins’ semi-glam new wave R&B, and Black Kids’ soul healing indie crunk was a genuine genre roller coaster that left various tastes satiated and the crowd danced out.
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Black Kids, The Virgins and Team Band
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 Entertainment
Art
Abbey Pub
Chicago, IL
October 6, 2008
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Delivering on their recent hype, Jacksonville natives Black Kids nailed their set with power-hitters like “Hurricane Jane” and “I’m not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you,” power-punched with Tom’s Diner reprises and Sam Cooke lyrics. Reggie Youngblood’s mighty fro swayed in tune with his voice and guitar; Dawn Watley on vocals and keyboard rocked a leopard shirt; Reggie’s sis Ali spread sass from behind her keyboard. Bassist Owen Holmes and drummer Kevin Snow got a bit lost in the background but played well. The look, sound, and feel of the band are an ode to being young, an angle that can get old if overdone. But Black Kids kept it snappy primarily thanks to their gender-bending, LGBT conscious lyrics and inexhaustible stage presence.
Before the opening chords to “My Christian Name,” Reggie had a moment of nostalgia for high school, saying he had one regret: “I was Southern Baptist. I wish I’d been Goth.” The show continued and climaxed with a foreseeable encore.
Earlier in the night, The Virgins cranked up the soul with a mix of New York boy charm and twitch-step dance moves. The self-satisfied charisma of the band is reminiscent of hipster-glam, self-indulgence, and waking up hung over at the wrong side of town. Simply put, they embody the cliché, but they’re fantastic. And the semi-punky, funky echoes of “Rich Girls” and “She’s Expensive” coupled with lead singer Donald Cumming’s resonating whine warmed up the audience for the main act.
With self-depricating, light-hearted, faux-egoistic lyrics and a wobbling lead singer, Team Band held their own in the line up. All the punk rock without issues more serious than getting drunk and well, being Team Band, the group surprised then won the hearts of the crowd. In a world where a don’t-give-a-fuck attitude has become hard work, songs like, “Hipstah, Please” and the sarcastic lyrics like “I’m so bloody James Bond” make it look so easy.
Attitude and egos galore at the Abbey Pub; the constant inversion of what is sold out and what is old school; and at the root of it all was a real good time.
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