REVIEW: Bully w/ Bev Rage & the Drinks | 8.31.23 @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville [PHOTOS]

Bully
w/ Bev Rage & the Drinks
Brooklyn Bowl; Nashville, TN
August 31, 2023

Review by Philip Obenschain. Photos by Mary-Beth Blankenship.

Since instantly asserting herself as one of the most exciting new rock artists in Nashville a decade ago with her frenetic, punk spirited, grungy eponymous debut EP, Bully– the musical alias of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Alicia Bognanno- has gone on to become a critically adored staple of the modern punk and alternative scene, releasing four LPs over the last eight years (most recently Lucky For You– arguably her best work to date), touring the world, and remaining one of Nashville’s preeminent current artists. We’ve seen Bully a bunch over the years, from her earliest days at The Stone Fox (where she used to run sound) and Drkmttr, all the way to big festival stages, prominent supporting tour spots, and ever-growing headlining club shows of her own, but it’s been a few years since we last caught Bully at home (we missed her Basement East show back in March, and farewell to Mercy Lounge performance last year), so it was exciting both to check in on one of our favorite local artists, and also to see her in support of her fantastic new record, at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville- Bully’s largest hometown headlining performance yet!

I’ve only been to Brooklyn Bowl a couple of times, but it’s fast becoming one of my favorite new spots to see a show. The view is great from all over the room, the sound and lights are top-notch, and it’s just the right size to attract bigger acts without feeling too big a space. The room was still filling up as I arrived, and I was able to get a great spot near the front as openers Bev Rage & the Drinks took the stage. I wasn’t familiar with this band until looking them up ahead of the show, and, as they explained during their performance, it was also their first time performing in Nashville. Hailing from Chicago and fronted by blue haired, punk rock drag queen Beverly Rage, it was immediately clear why Bully selected them to open this tour- their sound is fast, brash, frenetic, and punk, with echos of the same ferocity and grungy ethos as Bully. I didn’t really know the songs aside from the few I’d streamed in advance, but Bev did a great job bantering in between, setting them up, and delivering them with a balance of levity, propulsion, and passion. Their music really rips, their songs are unabashedly queer, and their live show is a blast- I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for Bev Rage & the Drinks’ next show in Nashville.

Bully’s giant logo-adorned backdrop as well as all their gear was already positioned on stage ahead of the show, and it wasn’t long after Bev Rage’s brisk and magnetic performance that members of the group walked out on stage to tune and check their instruments, before disappearing for a few minutes as the house music continued on, eventually crescendoing as the lights dimmed and Bully reemerged to kick off their set. As I mentioned, I’ve seen this band a bunch over the last 10 years, probably 12-15 times counting all the festivals, and I never get tired of how raw, intense, and ferocious they are live. I’ve seen several different incarnations of Bognanno’s backing band as well, and this current configuration might be the tightest and best sounding yet, featuring bassist Nick Byrd, drummer Benji Coale, and new addition Elle Puckett on guitar, who, since comprising one-half of formerly Nashville-based group Poema (veterans of our former Acme showcase series) years ago, has gone on to play with huge artists like Maggie Rogers and Lorde. This wasn’t a release show for Lucky for You, per se, as that album arrived back in June, but it was Bully’s first hometown show since, as well as the last date on this leg of their tour, and as obsessed as I am with that new LP, I was thrilled that they played all ten of its tracks in their set, while still leaving space for some cuts from their whole discography, particularly debut Feels Like, which still has a nostalgic soft spot for me.

After alternating between some old and new favorites- the riot grrrl inspired “Where to Start,” poppy and propulsive new jam “Hard to Love,” biting early single “I Remember,” ’90s alt rock conjuring “A Wonderful Life,” slacker grunge anthem “Feel the Same” and more- Bognanno, who admitted she rarely likes to speak to the crowd until the end of the show, welcomed to the stage the first a couple of the evening’s special guests: former Paper Route frontman and acclaimed local producer JT Daly, who produced Lucky for You and helped give it its pop sheen, joining Bully on saxophone for new vibey new tune “A Love Profound.” In all of the times I’ve seen Bully, I can’t recall them ever bringing out a guest- the band is such a singular vision of Bognanno’s artistic vision, and, until recently, she didn’t even really work without outside producers, largely opting to do everything herself and analog- so this seemed like a special, very Nashville, moment, and a really fun addition to the set. I probably should’ve seen it coming, but I was surprised again when, a few songs later, Sophie Allison, a.k.a. acclaimed local indie artist Soccer Mommy, emerged as well to join Bognanno on Lucky for You duet “Lose You.” Bully and Soccer Mommy have, without a doubt, made some of my favorite music of the last several years (Nashville or otherwise) and seeing their distinctive styles mesh is a match made in heaven, and something super special to witness in person.

Though they still embody that scrappy, punk rock spirit they’ve had since those early, tiny shows, Bognanno and co. definitely perform now with a road-worn, confident polish, which I think especially lends itself to the poppier, more alt rock sheen of the new album (adding Puckett to the fold definitely feels like a secret weapon too). The tumultuous period leading up to it and some personal tragedies funneled into its themes also feel especially resonant, and though Alicia has always written songs in a very raw and vulnerable way, I could really sense the grief, tumult, and passion in the way she played those Lucky for You tracks (I also couldn’t help but notice a picture of her dog, Mezzi, whose passing hugely inspired the album, attached to her amp in tribute, which really broke my heart). After concluding the main performance with new tune and her catchiest single ever, “Days Move Slow,” then Lucky for You‘s angstiest and most socially urgent track “All This Noise,” the band departed the stage, with Bognanno returning alone for an encore. The first song was one I’m not familiar with (and trying to look it up only informed me that it was also played last year at Mercy Lounge), but it sounded cool and I hope to hear it recorded someday. The following song- which Alicia joked she kept messing up on tour despite it being the easiest cover, was Janes Addition classic “Jane Says,” which absolutely rips with her vocal style, and sounded really cool as a solo cover. Then, finally, the band returned to end the night with one of the songs that helped start it all, “Milkman”- a reminder of just how far Bully has come in the last 10 years, and of how lucky we are to have such incredible artists like this in Nashville.

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All photos by Mary-Beth Blankenship

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Setlist:

All I Do
Where to Start
Hard to Love
I Remember
Change Your Mind
How Will I Know
A Wonderful Life
Running
Trash
Feel the Same
A Love Profound
You
Trying
Ms. America
Lose You
Days Move Slow
All This Noise

(Unknown)
Jane Says (Jane’s Addiction cover)
Milkman