Dream Wife told their feminist message through guitar-driven rock at the Casbah Friday, October 12.
Dream Wife, photo by Lara McCaffrey
Look at various music reviews of Dream Wife and you’ll see claims about Dream Wife speaking to the #MeToo movement and how women are “angry right now.” It makes my blood boil because lots of women have ALWAYS been angry. What’s changed is that the rest of the world has suddenly realized that women are angry. There’s always been a movement, you just didn’t see until now.
Moments like this call for bands like Dream Wife.
Not only are they technically talented–Alice Go’s guitar shredding abilities in particular are INSANE–the garage rock trio have lyrics and attitude that all women can relate to. In particular, “Somebody” has resonated with fans and critics alike. With lyrics like “You were a cute girl standing backstage/It was bound to happen…I am not my body!/I’m somebody!” the song describes the all too often assaults that occur at shows and clubs.
However, don’t lazily slap the “riot grrrl” label on them just because they’re socially conscious. They’ve got a plethora of experiences and sounds featured in their music. Not all their songs are serious–there’s the raucous hit “FUU” (Fuck You Up) featuring Spice Girl lyrics (Tell me what you want, what you really, really want…I want to fuck you up!) and “Let’s Make Out,” in which singer Rakel Mjöll coyly tells the object of her affections to not “be shy.”
The London-based trio’s stage presence was empowering to watch. Mjöll swaggered across the stage, while bassist Bella Podpadec and guitarist Go were clearly enjoying their time onstage without overdoing their performances.
The only down part of the performance were the drunk women and men grinding in the front row… One woman even jumped onstage and tried to dance up on Mjöll during “Somebody” out of all songs. Mjöll gently pushed the inebriated woman back into the crowd telling her “I am not my body, I am somebody.”