The name should ring a bell. Lewis, the actress behind such flicks as Cape Fear, Kalifornia and Natural Born Killers, and trivially, an ex-squeeze of Brad Pitt, is quite the glamour puss. Now she’s shamelessly fronting a band formed two years ago, which is mounting support wherever they go.

With all honesty, I was a bit dubious before the gig, certain this was an excuse for a bored Hollywood starlet with too much money and time on her hands, to be too alternative. What I see is a petite and well-groomed Lewis in a blue wig, which she promptly rips off to expose a shock of blonde hair. Kicking off with an energetic number, she commands the stage and the audience with her erotic thrashing. Radiating an amazing amount of energy in a shoebox sized venue takes some beating with Lewis continually flinging herself from one end of the stage to the other. At one point, she even dives into the audience, thrusting the mic into the direction of anyone who cares to sing along. Meanwhile, The Licks themselves are cooler than cool, complete with ‘118 – 118’ moustaches. 

A little bit redneck, a dose of trailer trash, a taste of Hollywood and a lot of Dolly Parton gone punk is the mish-mash that is Juliette Lewis as a bonafide rock chick. But what about the songs themselves? Imagine, if you will, wild, jumpy, nervous ballads like ‘Comin’ Around’, sexy and luscious ‘Got Love To Kill’ and slow crooners like ‘This I Know’.

The chemistry between the band overflows dangerously, though this shouldn’t come as a surprise as Lewis intoxicates everyone who falls under her spell with her alluring punk-rock chick chic. Delectable and truly lickable, Juliette & The Licks touch all your senses. For Lewis' future, this wise (career) move looks like it's paid off.
(5/5)

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