Brett Callwood
Bitchin’ Metal at the Whisky: ’80s metal band Bitch, lead by the inimitable Betsy Bitch, have changed since forming in 1980. The lineup has shifted, with only Betsy remaining from the original band. Of course, the scene on the Sunset Strip isn’t what it once was. And the group’s name, once seen as subversive, is now a symbol of reclaimed power for women — they’re taking the word back.
“Being a woman in an all-boys club definitely got us more attention, so there are no regrets there,” Betsy told us in 2018. “It was definitely a positive thing and it got us noticed. The fact is that we could back it up with the songs and the talent and remain on the same level. It worked out well, and it got us the attention we needed at first to get people’s attention.”
(Incidentally, there’s another artist with the same name, a singer/songwriter who was formerly part of a duo called Bitch & Animal).
At the Whisky on Thursday night, the band Bitch was in fine form. The crowd was healthy if not jam-packed, and the many opening acts received a warm receptions, with proggy power-metal troupe Blak Earth the last.
Buy back to Bitch. 1983’s Be My Slave album is their best — 10 slabs of S&M-themed hard rock. While the band is often mentioned in the same breath as Hollywood’s hair metal scene, they were much heavier, more transgressive and empowering than that. At the Whisky, they play a bunch from Be My Slave, including the awesome title track, “Gimme a Kiss” and “Leatherbound.”
We also got “Devil Made You Do it” from 1989’s underrated Betsy album, and her awesome cover of Elton John’s “The Bitch is Back” from the ’87 album of the same name.
Betsy remains a magnificent performer, powering onto the stage at the start and never letting up. She’s assembled a killer band, and she blesses her crowd with a bunch of great stories. Bitch may have changed over the years, but the power and hunger remains. A new album would be great though.
(Brett Callwood)
Bitchin’ Metal at the Whisky
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Bitchin’ Metal at the Whisky
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