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[Roadtripping]
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A Portuguese punk outfit with a French name who of late have removed themselves to Berlin, Les Baton Rouge are adept at flying the flag for international feminista revolution. The co-ed quartet — fronted by a penetrating frontwoman named Suspiria Franklyn who brought riot grrrl to Portugal back in the early ’90s with a band called Everground — have just released their second album for Connecticut’s Elevator Music label (which has also put out excellent Portuguese punk discs by the Tedio Boys and, more recently, the Parkinsons). On Chloe Yurtz, the group make out like a Nina Hagen–fronted Bikini Kill. Their tour with garage-punk kingpins Electric Frankenstein begins tonight (April 3) at the Linwood Grill (617-267-8644) in Boston and continues Friday at the Living Room (401-521-5200) in Providence and Sunday at Toad’s Place (203-562-5589) in New Haven.

Anyone who ensures that the Disney corporation is cutting royalty checks to the estate of Johnny Thunders is okay in our books, and on their Hollywood Records debut, 6Twenty, the New Zealand garage-punk band the D4 double our amusement by covering not only the New York Dolls’ " Pirate Love " but also Guitar Wolf’s " Invader Ace. " They’re at T.T. the Bear’s Place (617-492-BEAR) in Cambridge tonight (April 3); the Met Café (401-861-2142) in Providence on Friday; and Pearl Street (413-584-7810) in Northampton on Saturday. Meanwhile, the pre–White Stripes blues duo Immortal Lee County Killers make like the Black Keys and take stabs at R.L. Burnside’s " Rollin’ and Tumblin’  " and the Otis Redding–identified " That’s How Strong My Love Is " on their new Love Is a Charm of Powerful Trouble (Estrus). On Friday, ILCK are at the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge with yet another blues-punk duo, the Kills (see " Off the Record, " on page 28 of Arts); on Saturday they hit Flywheel (413-527-9800) in Easthampton with Chicken McHead.

" Sad Pony Guerrilla Girl, " the first song on Xiu Xiu’s A Promise (5RC), is an indie-folk piece about a pre-adolescent cross-dressing girl that’s sung in the first person by a boy; halfway through, it devolves into white-noise madness and emerges on the other side as if nothing had happened. The rest of the disc careers from orchestral glitched-up techno-pop to fractured, minimalist cabaret tunes to an oddly faithful version of Tracy Chapman’s " Fast Car. " Xiu Xiu hit Mass College of Art (617-879-7000) in Boston on Saturday and AS220 (401-831-9327) in Providence on Sunday; the Rah Brahs open both dates.

Spazz-metal luminaries Dillinger Escape Plan hit Axis (617-262-2437) in Boston on Monday and Pearl Street on April 12. And Lightning Bolt drummer Brian Chippendale’s other noise-terror duo, Mind Flayer, have a disc out on Bulb called Take Your Skin Off; they’ll attempt to do just that at PA’s Lounge (617-776-1557) in Somerville on Wednesday and at the Met Café next Thursday, April 10. Bulb honcho Pete Larson’s anarcho-rock duo 25 Suaves open both shows.

BY CARLY CARIOLI

Issue Date: April 3 - 10, 2003
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