17 July 2024

Three years ago Los Angeles DEAP VALLY, guitarist/vocalist Lindsay Troy and drummer/vocalist Julie Edwards, one of the most thrilling and dynamite garage
rock acts, and utterly cool and drop-dead gorgeous feminists, of the past 15 years
– on record, on stage and off stage – released their 4th LP (the collaborative one
with The Flaming Lips included), titled MARRIAGE.

L/J“Being in a band is like being in a marriage: sometimes it’s magical,
sometimes it’s unbearably challenging. To reinvigorate that marriage we’ve
made album three a genre-bending experiment with new collaborators and
instrumentation that push the limits of what has previously defined us.”

But (there’s always a but) last September, they announced their divorce (mind
you, best friends for life). Fuck. Sniff. Shit. Bloody. Damn. I thought it was actually
time for a new record and a tour, Europe included. Unfortunately, their journey
comes to an end.

Well, their records are 4ever, and both the memories of interviewing Lindsay and Julie
back in 2013 in Brussels while they were knitting (they met in knit class) and seeing them play live four times are great moments stored 4ever in my mind.

Hello/Goodbye Lindsay, Brussels 2013 – pic by TUTV

Hello/Goodbye Julie, Brussels 2013 – pic by TUTV

To say goodbye the two Amazons went on a farewell tour and released a special edition
of their seminal debut record, featuring the fully re-recorded album, plus a whole other record’s worth of b-sides, early demos, and other unreleased goodies from deap in the vally vault. Order HERE.

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They started their Farewell Tour last year and have some more shows to go.
They also played Belgium (woo-hoo). It was fantastic to see them one last time.
time before the curtain falls.

I wasn’t the only one who got excited/emotional. I met an avid British-Belgium-based
DV fan with a pretty cool name, Bárbara Mendes Jorge. After some mutual introduction,
I knew I was talking to a fellow music junkie, so I invited her to do the gig’s review. She’s the first person other than me to write for this blog. Let me know what you think about it.

Time to shut up now.
Barbara has the floor.

“When Deap Vally chose De Casino in Sint-Niklaas for the Belgian leg of their tour, I knew I had to pay a visit to see one of my fave rock duos – especially when I found out this was their farewell tour.

I knew we were in for a good one when they launched into the barn-stomping End Of The World – it turns out Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards were playing all of their debut album Sistrionix, in order. It felt surreal, as the only other time I’d seen them was in 2013, just
after that album’s release – and here I was saying goodbye.

Deap Vally kept the energy up throughout the gig – it’s easy to be enthralled when they’re playing eleven songs from a basically perfect album – and explained they had re-recorded Sistrionix as their record label had the rights to the old one – I wondered how many more bands will need to do this to rightfully gain back what should be theirs.

After playing Sistrionix there was a short break Deap Vally came on with Solon Brixler, who previously played with 30 Seconds to Mars and is now the singer and guitarist for American indie band Great Northern, alongside his wife Rachel Stolte.

I was extremely glad he took over guitar duties from Lindsey for the next two songs because it allowed her to roam around the stage and interact with the audience while enthralling us with her blues-soaked voice. At this stage, it was great to see mostly women at the front, including the ladies from support act HotWax. Many women – like myself – were enthusiastically dancing and singing along, unlike many of the men at the front who were still standing there quite passively.

It felt very emotional when the last note of Royal Jelly was played, not only because we were waving goodbye to one of the best rock acts of the last couple of decades, but because of the night’s symbolism.

As a female rock fan for over 20 years, it is so rare to see so many women in one place, leading their bands, playing their instruments so skilfully – a sad fact I discussed with JL from TUTV when we met in the crowd. Although the audience skewed mostly male, it felt like this gig was for the women who love (to) rock (out) – and I was glad to be there to witness it.”

Thank you very much, Bárbara for sharing your impressions, which
came obviously from your heart and soul, your ears and your eyes.
The way I like it the most.

Attention! Bárbara and her friend Fran host an Over/Underrated Podcast
about, of course, music. Check their chats out right here.

Final Deap Vally single It’s My World

May the road rise with Lindsay and Julie
and their wonderful families

DV: Instagram – Website – Bandcamp

(Live + Lindsay/Julie in Brussels photos by Turn Up The Volume)