With Happy Days hairdos and everyday clothes, local rockers Wounded Lion barfed awesomeness all over The Scene Bar in Glendale last Sunday night. 

Initially headed to the venue to scope the accuracy of my theory regarding The Hands’ ability to rock live (vs. their ability to kinda-sorta rock on the new re cord), I wound up missing their set, having dallied too long in an enchanted sandbox.

However, the result of my lateness was an accidental live encounter with my new favorite everything, Wounded Lion.  Far as I can tell, each member of this band is an escaped mental patient.  
 

Their sound was very Velvet Underground, and they sang about Muppet Babies,  pointy sticks, and clouds. They’d shout choruses like, “COMO TALLE VOUS, HEY!! COMO TALLE VOUS, WHAT??,” and then do some elaborate, flailing, rain-dance as the bass player hurled himself into the smooshy soundcrates stapled to the wall.

Kudos to the ace tambourine action, to the hidden guitar player who looked 16, to the believable boom of the vocals, to the dark, heavy cover of CCR’s Bad Moon Rising, and to the bra-less drummer who inexplicably looked like someone’s mom, who did not smile, and who walked to the front of the stage wearing one shoe to sing a percussion-free, Nico-esque rendition of The Clash classic, Career Opportunities. 

Wounded Lion is the kind of group that makes you want to be in a band again.  Hopefully they are playing sooner than next July.