Sassy, saucy, spunky, style, spark, and swagger. My mind filled with all of those "S" words upon watching and listening to Leopard Print, the new single/video from Boom! Boom! Deluxe!
I love rockabilly, I love the fashion, the music, and the attitude. This is some of the best I've heard in ages. Hettie LaBombe (double bass, vocals) is one class act. Oozing with charisma, simultaneously sultry and brash, her presence fills the screen, and her voice languorously trickled its way down to my heart-strings, and entwined itself within them forever. Brimming with confidence, and bold as you like, Hettie gleefully extolls the virtues of standing out from the crowd and making a statement, by wearing clothes befitting the song's title. The entire video, from start to finish, shows a band having an absolute whale of a time (and you better believe the whale is wearing leopard print, too), along with some friends who have completely embraced the spirit of the song, shaking their stuff with huge, beaming smiles. The delicious fun of the video leads me to draw comparisons with the video to The Fratelli's "Chelsea Dagger", another video I could cheerfully watch all day...whilst alone in the house. Ahem. Where was I?
Oh yes, Leopard Print! Musically, superb. Hettie's voice is just gorgeous, and she delivers the vocals with all the power and delightful fun at her disposal. This is a smoky, soulful, sass-fest of a song, perfectly executed by a world-class band, a true embodiment of the spirit of Rockabilly. For my money, this is a flawless song with a perfectly matched video. Boom! Boom! Deluxe!, PLEASE come to Christchurch to play a show, so that I can get my boogie on, and worship you all in person.
Top shelf stuff.
Boom! Boom! Deluxe! are the seminal New Zealand retro Rockers - Fantastic fun live, playing a mix of their own songs and authentic 1950's / 1960's classics, as well as a few surprises. With two acclaimed albums to their name and successful tours of Japan and Europe under their belts they are now working on their third album and planning a busy summer playing festivals around new Zealand and Australia.