Becoming a fan of Agent Ribbons is like an invitation down the proverbial rabbit hole: you have no idea how deep you’re going to get involved after that first tentative step. I was at first intrigued by their genre-defying album Chateau Crone, becoming more interested after talking about the album and the band with lead singer Natalie Gordon last week (for the exclusive BnB interview, click here).  I had seen a few live videos online, and each featured borderline-hypnotic performances by Natalie and drummer/backup vocalist Lauren Hess. Their live show last night did not disappoint, though the usually packed Bootleg Theater was only half full last night in part due to the perpetual sprinkle of rain that started Friday and shows no signs of stopping. But with only two band members onstage and a small audience, the atmosphere was warm and intimate rather than awkward and empty. Both Natalie and Lauren were dressed to break hearts in knee-length ultra-feminine dresses and matching burgundy tights. Natalie’s hair was shoulder length and bright tangerine, with little flowers woven into a braid on the top of her head. Their appearance as a band was visually appealing, and that coupled with their unconventional stage performance and killer songwriting quickly secured the coveted spot in my head and heart as my new favorite band.

For the first song, Natalie donned sunglasses with heart-shaped frames, clapping and singing along with her drummer sans guitar. She quickly removed the sunglasses after the song, turning serious for a moment to apologize for the minimalistic instrumentation for the evening’s performance. Not only had they lost their violinist, but Natalie’s gorgeous powder blue Danelectro had been stolen in San Fransico the previous night. The crowd collectively sighed in sympathy, Natalie shrugging and lightly qupping “But other than that, everything else is the same.” It didn’t seem like an accident that the next song was “Born to Sing Sad Songs”, a simultaneously pretty and mournful song about a song without the usual sappy or cliché dressings. The doo-wop backup vocals provided by Lauren were minimal but sublime, and she didn’t miss a beat as she sang along with Natalie and the audience.

As the number came to a close, the audience gave a cheer that belied its small size, someone shouting “Do that again!” Natalie quickly replied “Okay! And now we are going to do that one a second time…”, the audience laughing at her good-natured sarcasm. She had the kind of easy rapport with the crowd that was all presence and no pretense, and it was difficult to take your eyes off of her. Not only was her face very expressive as she sang, but she was perpetually moving onstage. She swayed, stomped, and marched in place, and occasionally waved her right hand like she was holding a conductor’s baton. Her voice was smoky and raw, occasionally quivering like a weary jazz singer. She sang provocative and well-written lyrics with an honesty that was just as alluring as the sound of her voice, and it was very obvious by the consistent rich quality of her voice that she knew her way around a microphone just as well as she knew her vocal chords. The musical style ranged from 60’s era sex rock of “I’m Alright” to the gypsy waltz of “Grey Gardens” to the bawdy cabaret-style “I’ll Let You Be My Baby”: it was sort of like Roy Orbison meets Judy Garland meets The Bangles.

Halfway through the show, Natalie introduced a small audience member wearing a white blonde bouffant and a Shirley Temple-style sailor dress as their Auntie Lisa. Throughout the performance she would whisk various audience members away to dance, her dancing partners at first awkwardly declining but then breaking into smiles after she insisted, the smiles blooming to grins after the first turn around the room. Auntie Lisa’s retro outfit was complete with white stockings and bloomers, a fact the audience learned when she jumped up backwards onstage and kicked her legs up behind her head. It was surprising and hilarious, providing a nice comedic break while Natalie tuned her guitar. She then prompted Lauren to speak to the audience, and she demurely resisted,  admitted “I hate talking, it makes me extremely nervous.” There was a collective “Awwww”, the audience charmed by her modesty. Natalie urged her out of her seat behind the drums, placing her sideways towards the audience next to the microphone. She introduced the next song as ‘a dirty patty cake’, and the girls began clapping their hands together in the traditional patty-cake manner while singing about a romance with a shoeshiner. Next, they changed it up completely with “Dada Girlfriend”, a slow, quiet ballad with wistfully delivered lyrics.

Towards the end of the show, she thanked everyone for making it out on such a dreary evening, unselfconsciously putting her hand over her heart for a special thank you to the die-hard fans that always make the trip out to see them when they make it to Los Angeles. It was a great show all the way around, regardless of technical difficulties and the theft of a beloved instrument. Agent Ribbons persevered, keeping the mood light and the music strong despite setbacks that would have stopped any other band in their tracks. As Natalie mentioned earlier in the show,  they were used to their performances being equal parts music and comedy of errors, and they embraced both spheres with pride and grace. If you missed them last night, catch them tomorrow, December 22^nd at The Shady Lady Saloon in Sacramento. For a more detailed touring schedule, please visit their Myspace page. Agent Ribbons’ latest album Chateau Crone is now available on iTunes, and I would highly recommend it to anyone yearning for a refreshing change of musical pace.