Photo by: Cory Lamz
Perez Hilton may write an Internet gossip blog about celebrities, but he also knows music talent when he hears it.
Perez Hilton has taken his blogosphere publicizing to the next level by creating the annual Perez Hilton Presents Tour 2009, which features little-known pop acts trying to break into the American music scene.
On Sept. 29, the tour hit Denver’s Bluebird Theater on Colfax Avenue.
Far from filling the 500-capacity mark, the show proved an intimate introduction to four acts from around the world.
Opening the concert with an acoustic guitar set was singer Sliimy (pronounced “Slimmy”), the French musical child of Prince, Madonna and Mika.
Sliimy’s vocal delivery on his debut single “Wake Up,” and his cover of Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” did not disappoint, nor did his eccentric, over-the-top stage presence.
However, the acoustic renditions of odd and unfamiliar songs failed to entice the crowd.
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, the follow-up act from Seattle, entered with a ruckus as the two male lead singers (Shaun Libman and Luke Smith) jumped, danced and even threw punches at each other onstage.
Their energy was infectious, as were the songs. “Me + Yr Daughter” screams of a Los Angeles chic, while “Slow Motion Tag Team” is pure fun and energy. The song is abound with hand claps and melodic earworms, reminiscent of the Scissor Sisters.
Perez Hilton from DU Clarion on Vimeo.
Sufficiently warmed up, the audience anxiously awaited the arrival of headliner Ladyhawke (Pip Brown) from Wellington, New Zealand. A gem of the modern-day musician, Ladyhawke wrote every song from her year-old catalogue, playing at least one instrument on each song. During her set, she played both the guitar and synthesizer while also singing. She opened with the latest single from her debut album, “Magic.”
Then, she powered through a 10-song set, which included the synth-heavy songs of “Another Runaway” and “Danny and Jenny.
The second headliner was Semi Precious Weapons, hailing from New York City, the epicenter of modern-day glam rock and pop.
Semi Precious Weapons, a four-piece band featuring the vocals of Justin Tranter, the riffs of Cole Whittle and Steve Pyne and the beats of Dan Crean, performed with an all-out, exhaustive energy. Vocalist Tranter performed the 30-minute set while donning a golden, fishnet dress, heavy mascara and metallic silver stiletto boots.
Semi Precious Weapons raucousness directly manifested itself in Tranter’s image, but it also came alive in their opening songs, “Semi Precious Weapons” and “Magnetic Baby.”
Though Ladyhawke was the most known name on the bill, Semi Precious Weapons and Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head certainly deserve to be recognized as equally addictive bands on the rise – but someone please send Sliimy back to his home country.
