Girl In A Coma Concert Review- Alex's Bar- Long Beach, CA-4/28/12

At the sold out show on Saturday night we were blown away by the power and intensity of the Girl In a Coma trio. With searing vocals and just 3 instruments, these ladies from San Antonio, Texas can really rock. Their Smiths-inspired sound is a unique combination of punk and indie rock with a few ballads mixed in for good measure.

The band formed when drummer, Phanie Diaz and bassist, Jenn Alva met in a Jr. High art class. The lineup was complete when Phanie's little sister Nina joined as the lead guitarist and vocalist. Their mutual love of The Smiths was taken to the next level when they decided that the name of their band would be an homage to the song "Girlfriend in a Coma."

Tonight's Long Beach show at Alex's Bar was the sixth stop on their west coast headlining tour which lasts through May 10th. They are touring in support of their November 2011 release Exits & All the Rest which is out on Joan Jett's Blackheart Records.

 The crowd was electrified when the band took the stage and opened the show with the dynamic "One Eyed Fool."  From the first note we were both in awe of singer Nina Diaz's unbelievably powerful voice. She has a sultry, seductive quality to her vocals which draws the listener into her very personal lyrics.

One of the highlights of the evening was the song "El Monte." We were convinced that singer Nina Diaz was channeling the ghost of Patsy Cline. The song encompasses everything that is great about the band. The atmospheric tone and the incredible melody sticks in your head well after the song ends. Here's the video for the song.

The band played a 17-song, 2 hour career-spanning set. In addition to all the bands originals, they also covered Selena's "Si Una Vez" and ended the show with an amazing cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" both from their 2010 album "Adventures in Coverland." This was our first time seeing the band and we were blown away by the unbelievable musicianship of the trio. They have a confidence and stage presence of a band that has been playing together for 20 years. It was also obvious that the band has a real connection with their audience. Nina's lyrics seem to speak directly to many of their rabid fans.

The future is bright for the band. They've already toured with Morrissey, The Pogues and the Go-Go's just to name a few. It wouldn't surprise us a bit if Girl in a Coma were headlining their own arena shows soon.

Set List:
One Eyed Fool
Adjust
Control
Si Una Vez
BB
Their Cell
Pleasure and Pain
She Had A Plan
Knocking at Your Door
El Monte
Sly
Smart
Pink Lemonade
Static Mind
Ven Cerca
Encore:
Simple Man
Femme Fatale

Because it's our blog and we can do whatever we want, here's another cool video from Girl In a Coma for the song "Smart." You can hear The Smiths influence in this song.