I just got out of the shower. I really needed one after getting home from the Hunx and His Punx show at the Horseshoe last night.
 
Hunx, aka Seth Bogart, who you might remember from electro-sexy group Gravy Train, is a show on his own. He could be drunk, or he could just be having a really great time onstage; it’s hard to tell. But from the crunchy first notes, the dirty little crowd at the Horseshoe was ready for whatever he and his band could dish out.
 
Sporting a black leather jacket over a pink unitard with a giant music note sewn on the front, Bogart ran his crotch over the front-row attendees' faces, lifted his legs onto their shoulders and flirted nonstop while belting out his ‘60s girl-group-inspired garage hits. The whiny vocals showcased on singles like “You Don’t Like Rock 'n' Roll” or “Too Young To Be in Love” actually sounded a lot better live.
 
This was mostly due to his amazingly bodacious band. The Punkettes are made up of three sweaty women -- who look like they just walked out of the most glamorous dumpster in California -- and one Berlin hooker-boy guitarist. Michelle the guitarist was literally wearing a garbage-bag dress. And it’s the girls who make this show fly.
 
Their doo wop-style backing vocals are totally dreamy, with their perfect Phil Spector-esque harmonies and rhythms. They’ve got big hair, big dresses and -- although they often look bored onstage, with the exception of the drummer, who is like a punk rock Bam Bam -- it balances well with Bogart’s endless bouncing, rolling and tambourine flip-outs.
 
The act held up for most of the 40-minute set, until the band came back to play an encore. They couldn’t decide which song to play; they finally burst into “Gimmie Gimmie Back Your Love” and then fell off track with a handful of inside jokes that no one understood.
 
All in all, their songs are quick and dirty and so was this concert. An adorable mix of traditional pop with a lot of I-don’t-give-a-fuck punk attitude made for a totally danceable and disgustingly watchable show.
 
* It should be noted: there were rumours that some sort of animal had died under the stage at the Horseshoe and the smell, combined with the incense, might have affected this review. It should also be noted that if you’re in the market for extremely cute, sometimes bearded, indie-punk boys, a Hunx and his Punx show is where it’s at.
 

2 out of 4, because they really didn’t give a shit and neither did I, and that’s mostly a good thing.

Photos by Phil Villeneuve