Live At the Hideout

New Jersey’s Screaming Females are a powerful punk-based trio best experienced live. Five studio albums have given a clear idea of the band’s chemistry, and singer Marissa Paternoster’s emotional intensity as a vocalist and a lights-out guitarist (often considered the best underground guitarist since J Mascis). This is music not born in the studio but created and expanded by practice and continued execution. Having recorded the excellent studio album Ugly with Steve Albini—a legendary engineer (Big Black, Nirvana) known for preferring natural performances—the band knew a live album would be the next logical step. A near-death experience on the ride to Chicago’s Hideout club for the two sold-out nights ensured that the band played with an increased appreciation for life at these shows, now forever preserved by Timothy Powell’s “Metro Mobile” truck. True to form for any optimal live band, the songs grow and evolve in unpredictable ways. Songs such as “Leave It All Up to Me,” “Extinction,” “Lights Out," and “A New Kid” sound more ferocious than ever.