For those among us too scared to admit an ardent admiration of Lady Gaga for fear of relinquishing rocker status, let me introduce you to Villins, a goth glam duo bringing some goddamn showmanship back to rock at Bar Freda in Ridgewood. New York City’s most dangerous band, they claim, and they might be. How can anyone top their theatrics?
Devlin rips a hell of a riff, his detailed fingerwork contrasting with lead singer Jesyka’s powerful belt.
As I found out after taking notes on this show, guitarist Kareem ‘Jesus’ Devlin did in fact play with Gaga during The Monster Ball World Tour HBO special. Devlin rips a hell of a riff, his detailed fingerwork contrasting with lead singer Jesyka’s powerful belt. Their EP The Power, a loose dystopian concept album, lent well to theatrics, as our Villins are warned by a disembodied voice that “resistance is futile” until they can “find the power”. Lasers shoot across the audience from Jesyka’s eyes as she donned a pair of glasses between songs, and the beams shooting from her leather jacket create the illusion that her corporal form was shattering, exposing pure light within her.
Clad in leather and fishnets, Villins took the stage and commanded it for every single second of the show. There was no doubt in Jesyka’s footsteps, no awkward pauses, no movement wasted. With venue setups that lack an easily accessible backstage, I can understand why another artist may skip a DIY concept. But the reality is, in a venue like this, your audience will not care if you don the jacket in front of them or behind a curtain, as long as they’re entertained. Awkwardness be damned. Villins won’t shy away from the challenge, prepared with props and outfit changes, capes and jackets, lights, camera, and action.