Review: Sick of Sarah @ TT the Bear's, 3/30/11

"What are you gonna write about?" Katie of Sick of Sarah asked me in the bathroom after her band had just finished their sweet set. We had met earlier and I told her I would be writing up a review of the show. I didn't have a good answer to her question, so I asked her for some help.

"Rock and roll!"

Rock and roll it is! Sick of Sarah are a five-piece pop/punk band out of Minneanapolis who are now out promoting their second album, the excellent 2205. It's fun, sexy, and in your face. Think old school Paramore attitude with more swag and some Tegan and Sara angst. But make no mistake; everything about Sick of Sarah is very rock and roll.

My review would be incomplete without mentioning SoS's opening acts, Lucas of The Cliks and Hunter Valentine, and the bands' collective ability to transform TT's on that typical Boston wintry-mix-in-the-springtime night. Upon walking in, the scene was all alternative lifestyle haircuts and tattoos and cute piercings. It was the kind of unplanned awesome that magically materializes when cool & talented all-girl bands go out and tour.

After supporting high energy (and alcohol) Hunter Valentine for a song or two and dancing around in the crowd, headliners Sick of Sarah took the stage. They opened with current single, the super catchy "Kick Back." Lead singer Abisha Uhl reached out for our hands, jumped around, wore suspenders and did all the things that make the girls swoon. The setlist was full of 2205 tracks: "Overexposure," "Kiss Me," "Autograph," "El Paso Blue," and more. They also played some older favorites, including the song from their debut that first caught my heart, "Bittersweet"!

In stride with the general goings ons of the evening, Hunter Valentine came on stage to offer some backup vocals here and there. There may have been some straddling and suggestive dancing involved. It may have been really hot.

It would have been nice to hear Abisha's vocals better (technical difficulties) but people in the crowd were able to help with that by knowing almost every word. Overall, the music and the atmosphere was on point. Sick of Sarah are the kind of band whose energy, edge and sense of humor come through live — on stage, at the bar, out front, etc. They have the talent, and their tight bond as rock star friends doing what they love was no joke either — just check their wrists for the matching 2205 tattoos.

- Jessy Bartlett