Strangely Attractive at Mal’s Bar, 2-20-20 Concert Review

Strangely Attractive performing "Seven Nation Army"

It had been a long time since I’d last seen Strangely Attractive, so long in fact that the band is now almost entirely different. Gone is vocalist Jupiter Amaya, now replaced by Bella Luna. Gone, in fact, are all the old members with the exception of Chris Gongora on bass. Chris, of course, was always the center of the band. And now he’s incorporated his passion for magic into the band’s live performances. Strangely Attractive, in its new configuration, plays at Mal’s Bar once a month, generally on the third Thursday, and features not only music, but magicians and burlesque dancers. It makes for a seriously enjoyable time.

Last night, after a reunion set by Bullied By Strings, Strangely Attractive took the stage at 9:35 p.m. “We are Strangely Attractive, and this is what we do,” Bella said as they got ready to start. After a moment, since things weren’t quite set yet, she added, “We drink whiskey and we stall, that’s what we do,” which got a laugh from the crowd. “By the way, this is my birthday show,” she then announced. “I turned 42 last week, which means I am now the answer to everything in the universe.” Yup, a little Douglas Adams reference. Everything was ready then, and they got things hopping with “No Plan B,” a fun rock tune with a seriously cool bass line. This is a tune from the old days, one that Jupiter used to sing with the band. It speeds up at the end with a delicious punk energy.

Chris then started the bass line of “Seven Nation Army,” while a tap dancer set up her board on the stage. The band then played the song, and she did a tap dancing routine, adding another layer of percussion to it. “Did you guys notice that the more you clapped, the more clothes she took off?” Bella asked the crowd afterward. “That’s going to come in handy later. Just remember that.” She then left the stage, and Christopher T. Magician took over, backed by bass and drums. And, yeah, in his wild routine he ended up taking off more clothes than the tap dancer. In fact, he got completely naked, as the King of Hearts card overpowered the room, and was even printed on his ass cheeks. “That just happened,” Bella remarked as he left the stage. The band then did a cover of “Purple Haze,” while a burlesque dancer named Brandy Snifter performed, dressed in purple (well, at least at the start of the song). As Bella sang the line “Help me, help me,” Brandy mouthed the words to Kristen, who was standing off to the side of the stage, asking for her help in taking off her clothes, a nice and humorous touch.

David Rodgers then delivered a good drum solo, accompanied by Dana Benedict, the tap dancer, the two engaging in a percussion duet. Yeah, it was pretty damn cool. David played not only his kit, but also the wall, and then joined the dancer, playing on her board. The band followed that with “Extraordinary,” an original number that seriously rocks. Christopher T. Magician joined them partway through the song, the band jamming as he performed a crazy bit that featured a volunteer from the audience, a dime and a roll of toilet paper. The band then finished the song when he was done. A second burlesque dancer joined the band, the adorable Ruby Champagne, for the song “Lasso The Moon,” featuring perhaps the best vocal performance of the set. Brandy Snifter then joined the band on backing vocals for the closing number, a song that Bella called a guilty pleasure. It was one I didn’t recognize, and I had to ask another guy what the name of it was. It was called “Into The Unknown,” and is a song from Frozen II (which explains why I had never heard it before). The set ended at 10:23 p.m.

"No Plan B"

"Seven Nation Army"

drum solo

drum solo

"Extraordinary"

"Extraordinary"

 

"Extraordinary"

 

the performers after the show

Mal’s Bar is located at 2331 S. Hill St., in Los Angeles, California.