Jersey garage band Screaming Females manage to distill rock and roll down to two of its most crucial elements: absolute cool and absolute power. Rocking her schoolgirl-meets-nun outfit, lead singer and guitarist Marissa Paternoster alternated between demure and possessed, appreciative between songs and carnivorous during. Living up to the band's name, she ripped SXSW wide open with blistering guitars and screaming vocals, absolutely rocking the inside room of Red 7 on Wednesday afternoon. A regular Jekyll and Hyde, Paternoster is fascinating to watch and even better to listen to.
Screaming Females opened with “Sheep” and churned through a quick eight-song set that initiated the ringing in my ears that would persist for days. Somehow, through all the noise, Screaming Females manage to craft catchy and contagious songs. On the set's strongest tune, closer "Wild," Paternoster let her verses sound loud and clear as drummer Jarrett Dougherty rocked out. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: This is not a band to miss.
