A young and marquee girl-group foursome from Walla Walla, Chastity Belt delivered a plain, monotonous bill on Tuesday at a packed Music Hall of Williamsburg to a clutter of 500-plus concertgoers who were never able to get into any kind of mind-expanding dance beats. Instead they were left to bob to the beat at best.
The highlight of the evening was when a woman by the stage was given the boot by security officers for marijuana use. So much for straddling the arty, avant-garde republic of Brooklyn that thinks itself some kind of rebellious zeitgeist.
Julia Shapiro, the band’s lead singer and in a sunny mood throughout the night, attempted to be a crowd pleaser reaching back into the band’s dance-oriented hits with songs like “Joke”, “Time to go Home”, and “Different Now” that were met with applause upon opening riff recognition. And yet, while authoritative and able to carry the concert, Ms. Shapiro’s built-in dry, nasally squeal in her voice never managed audience conquests who seemed wearisome and waiting for godot in relation to a catharsis of dancing.
The rest of the band played strongly in an ancillary capacity. The group’s only bassist, Annie Truscott gave a magnificently deft performance. Gretchen Grimm, nonplussed but polite, on drums provided a strong presence. Lydia Lund’s guitar riffs were crisp. Ms. Truscott, though, was nothing short of terrific, with short brown hair and a wonderful smile, she roamed the stage with crouching, jerky, yoga-like serenity.
All that said, it was not a night to remember. A mostly fresh-out-of-college-aged crowd looking to dance the night away couldn’t get into a rhythm.
The band’s new album, “I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone” released less than a month ago has a devoted following and that has to count for something.
Chastity Belt is looking to become made, a cult following followed by becoming a household name that can charge up the wazoo, if you will. And yet, to create music that will make the feet tap in the spirit of Rosalie Sorrels, Suzanne Vega, Ani DiFranco, or Joan Baez, they have to make sure that none of their songs sound the same.
Only then will they inherit new dance steps from their fans.
