Submitted by Dangerous Dan:

I arrived plenty early for what I knew would be one of the big events in Seattle this year. The show was held at Moes which is one of 7 Year Bitch's favorite places to play these days. It is located right across the street from another one of their (and most of the Seattle music scene's) favorite hangouts — The Comet Tavern.

After getting my ticket, I headed downstairs and waited to get inside while the first band went through their soundcheck. From the sounds I heard coming from within the walls of the stage area I was quite intrigued to see this first band.

When the soundcheck finished and the doors opened, we made our way inside and proceeded to wait patiently for about a half hour listening to some rap music. As anyone who was there knows, from the sound of the rap music playing over the speaker system, Moes has PLENTY of bass and it was cranked way up in anticipation of the headliners.

At about 9:15 the band that I had heard soundchecking started playing. Called Crisis Rebirth, they were a peculiar bunch but I liked them quite a bit. The female guitarist threw out one monstrous riff after another while making it look easy. I would describe their overall sound as being very, very heavy and kind of like a cross between Sepultura and Pantera. The singer seemed to polarize the crowd with his 'singing', though, which was more of a growl than anything else and makes Philip Anselmo (Pantera) seem like he has range these days.

Shug was up next and played a very lively set. I saw them about a year ago and they have improved greatly over that time. The tempo of their songs has gotten quite a bit faster and in that respect they seem similar to 7 Year Bitch. It's no suprise to have seen them opening this show since Maria (the drummer) happens to be good friends with Valerie. In fact, Valerie was standing in the pit next to me for the first few songs watching them play. Overall, their sound was good except the vocals seemed almost non-existant. I almost think the vocals were turned down after the first band because this seemed to be a problem for the rest of the night. Possibly, the effect of having Crisis Rebirth's singer literally 'screaming in your face' caused the sound people to think that the vocals were up too far.

Another set of 7 Year Bitch's good friends, The Dancing French Liberals Of '48, were the last of the opening bands to play. Consisting of the surviving members of the Gits plus Julien Goble (formerly of DC Beggars), these guys just get tighter and tighter. I have seen them numerous times now and they finally seem to be establishing their own identity rather than just being known as the 'ex-Gits'. They played a solid set which lasted for about 45 minutes and the only complaint again was the fact that you could just barely hear the vocals.

At about midnight 7 Year Bitch took the stage amidst much fanfare. They immediately launched into "24,900 Miles Per Hour" and never looked back. The sound was dead on with the exception, once again, of the vocals being somewhat low. Fortunately, I was in the front row, and Selene sang loud enough, so that I could hear the vocals anyways, but usually they're much more audible. Liz and Val were solid as always while Roisin seemed in especially good form and was just nailing riff after riff. They played all of the new album and even threw in a few favorites from the first two albums.

The place was packed for 7 Year Bitch's set and it looked like a lot of their friends and family were there to watch them. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and one lady (a mom perhaps?) was snapping pictures like crazy. The show was broadcast live over the Internet so Liz said hi to her little sister during one of the breaks between songs. She explained that her sister isn't old enough to get in to Moes yet and was listening at home on the computer.

Selene won 'joke of the night' when she turned a request from Liz into hysterical laughter. Liz was having problems with her guitar cord and asked if anyone in the crowd had 'a short cord in their pocket'. Selene smiled and then responded, "a short cord in their pocket??? BUMMER!" and everyone busted up.

As part of the record release party, they gave out posters at the door proclaiming 'Now on tour!' and featuring the Gato Negro artwork with live pictures of each of the ladies underneath their cartoon image. The real record release was spoiled though when Liz announced that the new CD's had somehow been sent to Denver instead of Seattle. They were supposed to have been there for sale although they did have some cool new merchandise available at a little booth so Liz called it 'our poster release party' instead.

All in all, it was a great evening and lots of fun. We got to hear all of the new tunes and see them one last time before they head off on tour for a couple of months. The new songs sound fantastic and I can hardly wait to hear the album. I know what I'll be listening to on March 12th!

Submitted by Jeff Nelson:

As usual, I wasn't too enthusiastic about what I saw from the opening acts (I'm only at these shows for one reason anyway). I have no idea what the first band, Crisis Rebirth, was trying to accomplish during their performance. I couldn't understand anything the vocalist (I can't really call him a singer) was saying in his low, guttural growling, and I thought the film of the toddlers was kind of annoying. Also, I was not impressed by the guy who sat up there with the burlap sack full of twigs on his head - what was the deal with that?

The next band, Shug, didn't do anything for me. I guess they were ok, and the little monologue about the song "Fucked" was kind of amusing (it was something like "This next song is about how we're fucked. Not fucked, but you know, fucked").

Next up was Dancing French Liberals of '48. I had seen them a few times before, so I knew what to expect. I don't mind them, but I'm not into the repetitive choruses like "who-oh-oh-oa, yeah" that tend to appear in most of their songs. They played for about 45 minutes, and I was relieved when the final song, "Ghost Riders," was done.

7 Year Bitch took the stage at midnight, and as usual, they totally rocked the place apart. By this time, the room was packed, and it was hot and sweaty in the pit when they lit into "24,900 Miles Per Hour" to start the show. It was apparent from the beginning that Roisin was really into it - it was probably the best I've seen her play.

The set was mostly new material, and but they also played "M.I.A.," "It's Too Late," and "Lorna." "It's Too Late" was one of better parts of the show as Selene changed the lyrics around a bit, and she finished by saying, "So much for the cover." I thought "Crying Shame" was also unusually good.

I was up near the front, and it got pretty wild. The crowd was surging pretty hard during most of the songs, and I saw several people get hauled out for violent behavior. There was a lot more hard shoving going on than I have been part of before, but everyone was into it, and it was a lot of fun.

After finishing with an awesome performance of "Miss Understood," the band left for a few minutes. When they returned, they finished with "The Scratch," "Second Hand," and a little bit slower, seductive version of "Hip Like Junk."

I'm having a hard time deciding whether I liked this show better than the Feb. 24 show in Bellingham. I think the main difference was the atmosphere (WWU student union ballroom vs. Moe), and the type of crowd at each. Both were incredible, and out of the shows I've been to, would tie for being the best. Actually, this one might have been better because I went home with a free poster.

Submitted by Eric:

we (my wife and I) are longtime fans of the band. We recently got to see them at Moe's for the Gato Negro album release party. Another incredible performance. It had been about 6 months since we had seen them. All the touring has definitely paid off for them. They should alot smoother but Selene's stage show is sitll as incredible as ever, the woman has not lost any of her presence.

They are a totally cool band and seem like nice people to boot.

A review by Johnny Renton that appeared in Seattle's music paper The Rocket:

7 Year Bitch kicked off their current tour with a record release bash at MOE. Liz Davis lamented the fact that no records were actually on hand, but plenty of folks went home with posters for the release (Gato Negro, in case you didn't know), fetchingly drawn by Jaime Hernandez, the Love & Rockets guy. Before the band took the stage, the expected "meet and greet" was held downstairs, with a supply of edibles and drinkables on hand. Interestingly, the VIPs who gained entry seemed to be a beer guzzling lot, for all the beers disappeared within an hour while a stash of Odwalla remained and a bottle of wine was completely unopened. Stories of the band's trek to NYC for Home Alive release dates circulated, lucky attendees swooning over the fact that poet Jim Carroll had been in attendance. When the band finally ascended the stage, they turned in their usual tough, taut set; the crowd eagerly taking in the last chance to see the band for a few months.