Dutch rockabilly quintet Bootleg Betty go back to the Fifties with their debut EP Left the Barn, five tracks that have written "jukebox favorite" all over them. The ladies pay tribute to pioneer Wanda Jackson (A Song Called Wanda) and cars (Raging Cadillac), but the highlight is the ambiguity of the slow Like A Wolf - it could be about murder or sex or both. With harmonica, chugging guitars and passive-agressive vocals the song moves like a predator in the dead of night.
Rcokabilly is a genre is about girls and boys checking each other out. Bootleg Betty is in step with the boundaries of their niche with Push & Pull, about a will he or won't he protagonist, and the EP's country honk closer Ramblin' in which the ladies take to the streets all dressed up and looking for trouble. Don't classify them as a novelty act, but think of them as a shot in the arm for good old rock 'n' roll. Buy them a beer when you catch them live.
Bootleg Betty:
Karlijn Wolsing: vocals
Anneke Zeegers: guitar, vocals
Imke Loeffen: guitar, vocals
Daphne Verlinden: upright bass, bass, vocals
Merel van Oven: drums
Left the Barn is released on 10" vinyl and CD thru Kroese Records. It is the first release by this label run out of an indie record store. Release date: April 18th.
Tracks:- A Song Called Wanda
- Raging Cadillac
- Push & Pull
- Like A Wolf
- Ramblin'
Live dates:
- 04/18 Kroese in-store (12:30), Nijmegen
- 04/18 Kroese in-store (14:45), Arnhem
- 04/25 Merleyn, Nijmegen
- 05/02 P79, 's-Hertogenbosch
- 05/05 Bevrijdingsfestival, Wageningen
- 05/08 Nijmegen Rock City Bowling, Nijmegen
- 05/10 Rock Around The Jukebox, Autotron Rosmalen, 's-Hertogenbosch