Barb Wire Dolls

Barb Wire Dolls is a female-fronted punk rock band based in Los Angeles, CA, but originally from Greece. The band is fronted by Isis Queen (vocals), with Pyn Doll (guitar) and Krash Doll (drums). Isis Queen looks like 70’s-era Debbie Harry (of Blondie), but sounds more like New York punk icon Patti Smith, and Barb Wire Dolls sounds like The Sex Pistols meet The Stooges playing at CBGB if the club was re-opened and moved to Seattle, WA, circa 1991. What? Yeah, they play politically-charged classic punk mixed with 90’s grunge. “Barb Wire Dolls are the new face of punk,” said Music Entertainment magazine. “Punk’s not dead… not as long as Barb Wire Dolls have breath.” Anyway, the band’s politics are fueled by the current government-debt crisis in their homeland, and, with bankruptcy looming, they eagerly re-located to L.A. after legendary DJ Rodney Bingenheimer of KROQ invited them to play a series of concerts there.

The band’s “much-anticipated” debut, Slit (2012), explodes furiously right from the start with its fiery first two tracks, “Revolution” and “Your Escape”, both in which Isis Queen rages over the [no] future of Greece. “World On Fire” is the grungiest track on this album with the strongest hook, and should be saturating alternative rock radio. But “Devil’s Full Moon” is pretty grungy, too, like Alice In Chains fronted by Courtney Love doing Patti Smith. “L.A.” honors the band’s adopted city, punk-style, like Brody Dalle, transplanted from Australia, did with The Distillers‘ “City of Angels”. Both songs, both bands – cool. “Destroyer Boy” is an obvious nod to The Stooges. “Seek and destroy,” Isis Queen snarls, “Cuz I’m a destroyer boy.” And, “Shut Up Slut” is an unashamed tribute to The Sex Pistols with Isis Queen channeling Johnny Rotten as the band re-writes “Holidays In The Sun”. But, my favorite track is “I Wanna Know” for no other reason than it just is.

Watch the videos for “L.A.” and “Revolution” here:

Barb Wire Dolls Discography