Don’t be fooled by its gloom-and-doom image. She Wants Revenge is just a group of normal guys. They just happen to make sinister-sounding music.
The 2005 smash “”Tear You Apart”” put the band on the map with its minimalist instrumentation and creepy vocals. Vocalist and guitarist Justin Warfield has a voice like none other: monotone yet insanely expressive. It’s the perfect voice to unleash the verse “”I want to hold you close/ Skin pressed against me tight/ Lie still, close your eyes, girl/ So lovely, it feels so right.””
Warfield and Adam Bravin (commonly known as Adam 12) are the band’s two main attractions. Both musicians are downright intimidating with their primarily black garb and haunting stares. Believe it or not, there’s a different side to them, as well.
“”We are two normal guys with fairly normal lives,”” Warfield said. “”The music that we make is just an extension of who we are.””
After a brief conversation with Warfield, it’s entirely evident that he and Bravin are not evil men with a hidden agenda. Their music focuses on the dark sides of life, and they play that role in the band.
“”If you talk about a relationship, you can talk about all different sorts of things,”” Warfield said. “”We talk about small details.””
Those details eventually end up leaning towards the dark side of things, as seen through “”Tear You Apart”” and much of the band’s newest album, This is Forever.
“”We’re not, like, goths,”” Warfield said. “”We don’t sleep in coffins or anything like that.””
This is Forever offers an evolution in the band’s dark-as-ever sound. Songs like “”Written in Blood”” and “”True Romance”” feel a little more free compared to their predecessors on 2005’s self-titled debut. Fans of that album should have no problem enjoying the group’s new material.
A hit single and a couple solid CDs are good, but what about the band’s live show? As one might expect, She Wants Revenge brings the atmosphere of its music to each stop on tours. Warfield describes his band’s performance as “”a sort of weird mix between an indie rock band and dance music.””
“”It’s much like the record, but with a lot more energy,”” he said. “”It’s a lot more powerful.””
One supreme test for the band’s live show came at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2006. The band was scheduled to close out the night at the festival’s second stage. At the other end of the festival grounds was a now-legendary comeback performance by dance robots Daft Punk.
“”We didn’t really feel threatened,”” Warfield said. “”We still had like 15,000 people in front of our stage.””
At the end of the night, it seemed like fans who made either choice were satisfied.
She Wants Revenge is currently in the middle of a tour showcasing This is Forever. Supporting the band is electro pop artist Kenna, who is also promoting a new record. While the two acts may seem like night and day, at the core they’re both beat-focused. In any case, Warfield wants to tour with a varied bill.
“”I don’t know of many bands that are much like us,”” he said. “”We probably wouldn’t want to play with them if so.””
Fans of fellow post-punkers Interpol may have something to say about that. Interpol and She Wants Revenge are often compared as having similar sounds.
She Wants Revenge performs Tuesday night at the Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St. Kenna and The Start open the all-ages show, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17 in advance or $20 at the door.