Gig Review: L7 + Fables at the Metro, Sydney

Live review: L7 + Fables, Metro Theatre, Sydney, Friday, December 8 2023

By BRIAN GIFFIN

AFTER two aborted attempts to bring their 1992 banger to Australian stages, California rock monster L7 had finally arrived, to the first of two respectfully sold out shows at the Metro.

As the crowd rolled in it was Fables across the front of the stage. Featuring members of Swirl – responsible for “The Last Unicorn”, one of the nineties’ most glorious dream pop songs – their music unfurled as slow-moving soundscapes of percussive drone with minimalistic vocals and washes of guitar. A mesmerising opening set that was a far cry from what we were about to receive at the hands of the next band.

With a smile and a nod from Dee Plakas as she jumped behind the kit, L7 took over, ripping straight into “Wargasm” to head the charge into one of the nineties’ best albums. Barefoot, Jennifer Finch wields her bass like a weapon as she bounces around, Donita Sparks staring down the crowd as she leads them through Bricks Are Heavy’s treasure trove of catchy, sludge-drenched punkish metal, Suzi Gardner chopping out the riffs and melodies behind a set of shades.

“We usually leave this until last,” Sparks declares and the place erupts as “Pretend We’re Dead” steamrolls over the Metro crowd, now wall to wall and front to back. “Diet Pill” is an anger blast and then Finch steps up to the mic for the sludgefest of “Everglade”. Her shades gone, Gardner takes lead vocals on “Slide” and the whole room is pumping. L7 is absolutely on the money. This isn’t just a band playing through its best-known album, this is a celebration of a pinnacle moment in nineties rock, and bringing everyone in the Metro along with them. When Sparks came forward for “Shitlist” the roar was louder than the band, the energy and emotion carrying through to Bricks’ closing track “This Ain’t Pleasure”.

They weren’t done though, not by any means – “now the pressure’s off!” Sparks declared as they plunged into a string of bangers from across the catalogue. “Andres” was first, of course, then “Fuel My Fire”, “Stadium West” – hit after hit. If L7 have worn the tag of “under-rated” throughout their career, certainly no one here has ever thought that and they don’t deserve it. L7 is a primal rock and roll machine – tough, heavy, unapologetic but also lots of fun. The hooks could land a whale and the band are so joyous onstage it’s difficult to remember sometimes that their songs are angry protests against conservatism, gender politics and the mess of American society. Finch drops one liners as she throws her instrument around like a plank. Sparks and Gardner, the stoic one, trade off guitar parts as they all make the crowd accomplices in their campaign of musical resistance. “Dispatch From Mar-a-Lago” makes their stance clear but even as that crashes into silence at the end of a set 20 songs deep, no one’s ready for them to leave – L7 included.

Assertive, galvanising, rousing, raw, hooky and fun, L7 know how to deliver one hot and powerful rock and roll show and they did so flawlessly tonight.