CONCERT REVIEW: BUTCHER BABIES, INFECTED RAIN AND STITCHED UP HEART COMMAND THE STAGE

by Pam Whisenhunt

Did you make it to the party last Sunday? The Butcher Babies, Infected Rain and Stitched Up Heart were at the Bourbon Theatre, September 5th and they brought the entertainment.

All three bands were female fronted. It was the most genuine paragon of female empowerment I’ve seen in a long time. Each band was at the top of their game. They commanded the stage and the crowd. All three sets were aggressive, high energy, and perfectly orchestrated.

Stitched Up Heart opened with “This Skin” off their sophomore album Darkness and lead into “Warrior” as Alecia “Mixi” Demner stated it was “for the troops”. Stitched Up Heart kept it heavy with “Catch Me When I Fall” from Never Alone.

Demner’s vocals were strong through out the set. She shared how good it feels to “finally play some shows”. Demner gave a shout out to “one of the coolest bands out there” their friends of over 10 years, the Butcher Babies. She also mentioned her new found love for Lena of Infected Rain.

Stitched Up Heart played “Finally Free”, “Lost”, and “My Demon” before closing out the set with “Monster”. Stitched Up Heart gets better every time I see them.

Infected Rain hailing from Moldova, disclosed it’s their first tour in the United States. Lena Kataraga aka Lena Scissorhands, welcomed us all to their “Infected Family”. She infinitely thanked the crowd for coming out instead of staying home. Cataraga started off with an intense metal scream and didn’t let up. Infected Rain’s set included an even mix off their two latest albums Endorphin and 86.

There were some minor technical difficulties mid-set, but they didn’t miss a beat. Cataraga expressed, that’s when you know it’s a live show. Cataraga revealed she recently got some bad news and was heartbroken; she was so happy to be there. It was “the best therapy”. In the end, Cataraga invited everyone to join the pit for a ritual they do for “Sweet, Sweet Lies” off Embrace Eternity; the last song of the set.

The Butcher Babies came out a fast with “I Smell a Massacre”. Their nonstop energy had the crowed jumping and pit circling throughout the show. They had a little fun playing the game Red Light, Green Light. It took a couple go rounds, but the pit figured it out.

A majority of songs played were off the Butcher Babies’ 2013 album Goliath. In addition, we were treated with three of their five latest singles, “Bottom of a Bottle”, It’s Killin’ Time, Baby”, and “Yorktown”.

Check out the live shots from the show. All by Pam Whisenhunt.

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