Review By: Nick Larzalere
To See Rating 6/10
Just Curious Rating 7.5/10

Band Members
Steve E. Nix – Guitar, Lead Vocals
Stevie Kicks – Bass
Prisilla Ray – Tambourine, Handclaps
Duffy – Tambourine, Handclaps
Brian Yeager – Guitar
Josh Blisters – Drums

I love the Seattle music scene, but I admit that when Nikki told me that my first review for Seattle Show Gal would be The Cute Lepers, I had no idea what to expect. When I researched them, I found out that two members of The Briefs started The Cute Lepers; that is a very good thing!

The Cute Lepers are a power-pop punk band, with strong influences from The Clash, and other 70s punk. They were at The Funhouse and the show was a part of Scooter Insanity, a scooter rally that had taken place earlier in the day. Scooters and punk music are two of my favorite things, and if I had known about the rally earlier I would have taken my Vespa down to the Seattle Center to get in the spirit of the show.

The Cute Lepers have a few catchy songs, but one that stands out is their single Terminal Boredom. It had a bit of classic punk that everyone was dancing to. Prove It, was also memorable; it’s a bit slower then Terminal Boredom with a more modern feel to it. Their other songs were not as remarkable, but they were not bad. Duffy and Priscilla had a special dance for almost every song; watching them move and Steve E. Nix play was not a bad experience.

One of the problems with The Cute Lepers is that while they seem to have plenty of energy playing, they don’t show it on stage. None of the boys really moved around once they got on stage and in position. Also missing was any banter from the band between songs. There was just the title of the song and they started playing. Duffy and Priscilla were more than willing to pick up the slack during the songs. It was their singing and synchronized dance moves that got the crowd moving, but the energy visibly dropped whenever a song ended. Luckily the band was always quick to start their next song, so the crowd didn’t have to wait to start moving again.

The Cute Lepers is a show that you should see if you love punk and cute girls with tambourines. They have catchy songs and the girls provide the energy, but that energy is hard sustain. The Cute Lepers have a show July 2 at the Seattle Art Museum before they go on tour in England.

Here they are at the Funhouse performing “Terminal Boredom”:

The Cute Lepers on Myspace

Upcoming Shows
Jul 2 2009 6:00P Seattle Art Museum Seattle, Washington
Jul 31 2009 8:00P The Vic Derby, England
Aug 1 2009 8:00P tba w’ Red Flag 77, Cyanide Pills Sheffield, England
Aug 2 2009 8:00P Steamboat w’ Red Flag 77 Ipswitch, England
Aug 3 2009 8:00P 12 Bar Club London, England
Aug 5 2009 8:00P West Coast Rock (pre-Rebellion show/party) Blackpool, England
Aug 6 2009 8:00P REBELLION FESTIVAL, Empress ballroom-w’ Damned, Bay City Rollers, Killing Joke, etc. etc. Blackpool, England
Aug 9 2009 8:00P Beat Night Club (Rebellion aftershow/party!) Blackpool, England