Le BUTCHERETTES – TASTE OF CHICAGO
with Half Gringa
Petrillo Music Shell – Grant Park Chicago
Sat 7/14/18

Taste of Chicago and 93XRT welcomed the garage punk band Le Butcherettes from Guadalajara Mexico , opening up for the mighty Flaming Lips.
Had to make this post separate, what with so much going on with Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips show wise, and not to conflict with that revisited post which will be coming soon.
Talk about charismatic: Le Butcherettes front woman Teri Gender Bender is as fierce as all get out- with shiny costumes and red flared makeup horizontal through the upper half of her scalp, ready to take on the world and her undeniably infectious garage punk music, even at 4 in the afternoon on a hot summer day.
Teri Gender Bender is the kind of gal who shouts and shouts and shrieks and yells, with a message that demands to be heard, over and over and over.
Le Butcherettes have a message that arguably borders on the artistic and defers to performance art- not necessarily political or social, but more in your face and stream of consciousness- with a caffeinated wake up call.
Teri Gender Bender weaves a heavy tapestry in her performances, with a message that’s hard and heavy covering themes of toxic family life, shrouded in addiction, and mental illness, focusing on her mother in particular, who’s alcoholism seriously affected Teri’s youth.
It’s like when seeing Teri and her band perform live- the wounds are fresh and cut wide open, like they happened just yesterday, with the message urgent and fresh, and the only way to go forward is to expel the demons with a frenetic delivery and not make it an act that comes off mundane.
So there you have it in a nutshell: Le Bitcherettes are anything but mundane and trivial.
Look at it another way: none other than Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips was stage rightt next to the PA watching Teri Gender Bender’s show, and recording most of it on his I Phone, with a huge smile on his face.
Even in the late afternoon on a hot summer day at Taste of Chicago, Le Butcherettes and their demons are driven out to the masses, with high energy from Teri Gender Bender, and a band that backs her up relentlessly and full tilt, forcing the music- the power of music to repel the inner angst and memories of a traumatic childhood.
Such a riveting set from Teri Gender Bender and her band Le Butcherettes.
Openers Half Gringa also had a smart and concise set to open the show- albeit brief for the half full pavilion, but still captivating nevertheless.
Cheers- Bobby Talamine – Music Photographer