The Swansons and The Hots at The Whisky

The Swansons and The Hots, The Whisky, November 23, 2018

Hollywood Roses was the headlining band at The Whisky in late November, presenting their own exciting tribute to the iconic Guns N’ Roses. The opening bands would be just as intriguing, with The Swansons being based out of the City of Angels and The Hots originating from Australia. And while both bands are radically different when it comes to their chosen genre, the unlikely pairing of The Swansons with The Hots made for a vibrantly memorable night on the Sunset Strip. The Whisky was certainly the place to be, whether you wanted to hear classic Gn’R songs or discover some truly compelling new talent emerging from our local scene and beyond.

The Swansons

The Swansons is an amazing country alternative band based out of Los Angeles who have been making quite an impression all across the nation with their superbly memorable songs and high energy live shows. Fronted by Joe Finley on vocals and guitar, and Angie Finley on vocals, The Swansons present a live show that will make you forget about the problems of the day as you sing along joyously. Opening their set with the supremely infectious Country This, The Swansons would transport the iconic Whisky into a honky-tonk party for the next half hour or so, celebrating life and love with a tremendously inspiring collection of songs.

In addition to the warm and witty songs and banter from The Finleys, The Swansons would perform with a full band on this very special night, featuring the talents of Joe Alfaro on bass, Karoly Kiss on drums, and Downs Thompson on fiddle. Showcasing all of the wonderful selections from their critically acclaimed Country This album, The Swansons had a nice surprise in store for the early Whisky arrivals as well – the premiere of a brand new song called Let It Go which will appear on their upcoming BAM! album sometime in early 2019. The Swansons have won all kinds of awards for their music and live shows, and judging by the audience response, there will be many more accolades in store for this dynamic duo in future days!

The Hots

The Hots were up immediately after The Swansons, presenting their own delicious brand of Hollywood rock and roll from Down Under. Celebrating the release of their Self-Titled EP, The Hots were absolutely on fire, seething with passion all over the Whisky A Go Go stage. Kicking their set into seductive overdrive with Please Me, The Hots raged into a high octane show that was wondrous to behold. You cannot tear your eyes away from The Hots’ rapturous vocalist Foxie Kelly, channeling so many rock and roll great such as Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett while delivering a performance that was both captivating and thunderously original. And on lead guitar was none other than Ronnie Simmons, who has played with the likes of Rose Tattoo and The Screaming Jets.

In addition to their own blazing compositions, The Hots’ choice of cover material was absolutely scorching. I Touch Myself by The Divinyls ignited into ultra-vivid life given The Hots treatment. And their Nice Boys cover was absolutely inspired, being Rose Tattoo originated as well as covered by Guns N’ Roses. The Hots were nothing short of mesmerizing, bringing excitement and intrigue back into hard ass rock and roll. Do not miss The Hots the next time they show up to blast your senses with their fierce live performances and wickedly memorable tunes.

(Concert Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

The Swansons: http://theswansonsmusic.com/
The Hots: http://www.thehotsofficial.com/