Chicks On Speed Bring European Punk to Cleveland
European Punk Band Blows Up Northeast Ohio
BY KARI WETHINGTON

Cleveland was unprepared for the raucous advent of Chicks on Speed, the oh-so-European, art-rock, electro-punk band that hail from Sydney, New York and Berlin, and that visited Beachland Ballroom Monday night. The show was electric, both metaphorically and literally; the band relied on pre-recorded music (with generous sampling and mixing on stage) for the background to their witty vocals. 
Despite their lack of instrumentation — which they proudly flaunt, Chicks on Speed impressed the crowd with their background films, reckless dancing, homemade leather and toilet-paper dresses and their unusual combination of purposely over-produced pop tunes and saucy politics.

Perhaps they are most well-known for their sassy take on the Cracker song “Euro Trash Girl,” but America has been slow in catching on to the sensation that is Chicks on Speed. Their lively performance, though short, spoke of their artsy roots. The “chicks” met in art school in Munich, and after working together in art exhibits, had the idea of starting a conceptual band for a joint art project. The project soon became more than just conceptual art. The women found themselves collaborating with well-known European DJs and working on a sound that was part electronic, part spoken-word and involved lots of brazen humor.

Chicks on Speed played no conventional instruments, but that didn’t detract from the energy and animation of their show, which was a conglomeration of songs from their latest U.S. release, The Re-Releases of the Un-Releases. Songs like “Glamour Girl” and the Deltas cover “Mind Your Own Business” make it clear that the whole idea behind this band is a reworking of the record-company produced pop band (think ’N Sync). The Chicks on Speed are not afraid to prance around on stage in mimicked choreography or sing along with minidisc recordings as if they were in a karaoke bar. The important difference is that while Chicks on Speed are playing with this idea of a produced image, they are the masterminds behind the product.
The band played a short and entertaining set, experimenting with vintage microphone sets and sampling dance beats into the usual background mixes that they perform with. Visually bewitching films flashed behind the three women, who dressed in matching homemade leather and plastic dresses, which they taped on their body and paired with toilet paper gloves, socks and scarves. Chicks on Speed don’t leave out any details, and their show transported the audience to some fantasy art gallery with dance grooves and crazy flashing lights. All in all, the show was superb, and considering that the band recently sold out two shows in NYC, Cleveland was lucky to be able to host such an exciting group.