L7’s moreish 1992 hit Pretend We’re Dead, an insouciant blast of grunge-rock, was unexpectedly prophetic. Even before the Los Angeles-based four-piece called it a day in 2001, mainstream culture had moved on. Until this year, L7’s legacy seemed like a lopsided one, as much about notoriety as music. Their place in rock’s hall of infamy was secured the moment singer/guitarist Donita Sparks lobbed her used tampon into a fractious Reading crowd in 1992.
Sparks, who flashed her posterior on The Word later the same year, has recently started to think about posterity. The band’s reunion evolved from her successful attempts to crowdfund a documentary that could turn their raucous heyday into a cohesive story. As comebacks go, it already feels more organic than most, powered by rekindled fan interest. After a projectile-free appearance at Download, this is the first of two sold-out UK shows, in front of an expectant crowd with a better gender balance than at most rock gigs.
But what is an L7 show in 2015? Mostly, it is a blast. The classic lineup of Sparks, singer/guitarist Suzi Gardner, bassist Jennifer Finch and drummer Dee Plakas may have only just regrouped but they sound loud, brash and together. The set leans heavily on Bricks Are Heavy, their breakthrough third album, with short, sludgy songs constructed from juicy, simple riffs and corrosive vocals.
Despite the headbanger heaviness, there is a tangible sense of fun. At the climax of Monster, Gardner unleashes a cackle worthy of Vincent Price. All three guitarists swap vocals, which helps to delineate the stormy assault. After the frantic, Stooges-esque Fuel My Fire, Sparks asks: “Are we loud enough?” Gardner qualifies the question: “Is it blowing your balls and pussies off?” The response seems affirmative.
L7 have, so far, tamped down talk of new material, although to see what they might have planned you could look at the resurrection of One More Thing, a song they never played live first time around. While not quite a ballad, it is slightly slower and grindier, with a hint of Supersonic by Oasis. Even before the encore, which includes an air-punching Pretend We’re Dead, there is a sense of belated, well-earned triumph. “This is the best idea we had in a long time,” says Gardner, grinning.
- At Electric Ballroom, London, 16 June. Box office: 0207-485 9006.
