Holland & Clark at Cheetahs Club, 12-17-16 Concert Review

Holland & Clark perform "Surf Rider"

Last night Holland & Clark returned to Cheetahs Club, a bikini bar on Hollywood Blvd., for another night of music and scantily clothed dancing girls. The place smells like sixty years of cigarette smoke covered by two days of disinfectant, and the atmosphere is a little odd, but I never pass up an opportunity to see this band. This was a night in which they performed under the name Daddy And The Ladies, the name they use when they focus on cover material. The night before at Mrs. Fish had been a mix, with the focus on original material. So this was a different venue, different crowd, different vibe, but the same great, positive feel to the music. And that, after all, is what it’s all about.

Before the show, the sound guy/DJ played Bob Marley, which got us all feeling pretty darn good.  Though when the first dancer took the stage, the music changed somewhat. The first dancer (I think her name is Chloe) was absolutely beautiful, and without any tattoos, which was a pleasant surprise, but her bikini top had fake flowers or something attached, which struck me as a tad silly. She had a great look – part sexy, part sweet, which made her seem friendly and approachable, which I find much more attractive than that distant, kind of bitchy demeanor. Though it was Saturday night, it was still early, and there wasn’t much of a crowd yet. I think the band and dancers outnumbered the patrons at that point. It got crowded later, but was never completely packed. Maybe that’s because it’s just before Christmas, and perhaps people think they should spend their money on their loved ones rather than throwing it in the direction of strange, sexy women on a stage. I don’t know. A lot of Los Angeles clears out at this time of year. The film and television industry has at least two weeks off, and everyone is eager to be somewhere else for that time – with family, friends, or just away for the sake of being away. Perhaps that too was responsible for the crowd being slightly smaller than the last time Holland & Clark played here. Who knows? One dancer stepped on the stage in a sexy fur vest, but she took it off before dancing. Oh well.

Holland & Clark took the stage at 10:02 p.m., and by then there was more of a crowd, and got the first set going at 10:05 with “I Found Fun.” Yes, they got things off to a good start. I love what Holland does with her voice on that song. After the song, the sound guy announced that the girls would be dancing during the band’s performance (maybe to reassure the regulars). Holland & Clark then did “Be My Baby,” the classic Ronettes song, with Bri Schaefer on lead vocals, and Holland on backing vocals and maracas. Bri also sang lead on “Spooky,” with Dana Wilson then taking over lead vocal duties for “Good Love, Bad Love.” It’s interesting that of the first four songs of the night, Holland sang lead on only one.

The sound guy called specific dancers up to the stage in the brief pauses between songs, which was a strange element to add to the show, like announcing Bingo numbers or something. After “Bad Things” (a tune with a great groove), he said, “Hot girls and a hot band.” No argument from me. Another thing perhaps worthy of note is that the dancers threw money at each other. Those bills really got around last night. By the way, the sound was decent, the only trouble being on “Fool Around.” When Holland played electric guitar for the first time of the night, her vocals ended up being a bit too low in the mix.

Later in the first set, Lee Beckley took over lead vocal duties for “Deeper And Deeper,” a seriously good song from Deep Throat Part II. Bri then sang “No Diggity,” and the band ended the first set with the new original Christmas song, “Santa’s Magic Trick.” The first set ended at 10:53 p.m.

After a forty-minute set break, Holland & Clark got the second set underway with the energetic “Down In Mexico,” with Dana Wilson on lead vocals. They then gave us a little Murdergram action with a couple of Misfits songs – “Vampira” and “Hollywood Babylon.” They followed that with a cool lounge rendition of “Baby Got Back.” Yes, seriously. It was a lot of fun. Lee then sang Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy,” a song that seems to speak louder these days. During that song, a dancer named Malice grabbed the pole by the band for a bit, but then did something that cracked me up. There was a guy seated right next to the dancer’s runway, and he was busy sending a text message, and not paying any attention to Malice. So she got down right in front of him, with her head just inches from his, and remained perfectly still until he noticed. Then she gave a surprised, goofy stare, which was wonderful. Holland & Clark then played a song specifically for her – Tom Waits’ “Alice,” but with the name changed to “Malice.”

Bri delivered a great vocal performance on the band’s cover of “Glory Box,” a highlight of the second set. During “Baby Be Mine,” the sound guy actually spoke over the song, even over Holland’s vocals. He was a really nice guy, and was very complimentary of the band, but he really needs to cut that shit out. Then during “Stuck” (one of the few originals of the night), that dancer in the fur vest returned to the stage and left the fur on for a bit while dancing, which I appreciated. Holland & Clark wrapped up the night with a cover of “After Dark,” with Dana on lead vocals. The show ended at 12:30 a.m.

Set List

Set I

1. I Found Fun
2. Be My Baby
3. Spooky
4. Good Love, Bad Love
5. Rock With You
6. Bad Things
7. Fool Around
8. The Rumble
9. As Long As I’ve Got You
10. I Only Have Eyes For You
11. Deeper And Deeper
12. No Diggity
13. Santa’s Magic Trick

Set II

1. Down In Mexico
2. Vampira
3. Hollywood Babylon
4. Baby Got Back
5. Let’s Go Crazy
6. Alice
7. Addicted To Love
8. Glory Box
9. Surf Rider
10. Baby Be Mine
11. Stuck
12. There Is An End
13. After Dark

Here are a few photos from the show:

"I Found Fun"

"Be My Baby"

"Spooky"

 

"Rock With You"

"Deeper And Deeper"

"Deeper And Deeper"

"Santa's Magic Trick"

"Alice"

 

Cheetahs Club is located at 4600 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles.