Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
April 12th 2015, The Rainbow Bar & Grill, West Hollywood CA: Continuing on with an annual tradition that they started on their 40th anniversary in 2012, the iconic, world famous Rainbow Bar & Grill held its 43rd anniversary celebration event last Sunday April 12, with a slew of old and new Sunset Strip rock bands performing on an outdoor stage placed at the innermost corner of the Rainbow parking lot. The sheer decline of the human race’s communication skills is evident none more so than in the fact that this place is now commonly referred to as “The Bow”. The event was free to enter, and fans and regulars of the Bow were in attendance for a debaucherous outing, gladly paying a premium for drinks and food. While it was entertaining to absorb the atmosphere when the music was not in focus, Metal Assault was there only for one reason: Barb Wire Dolls.
Los Angeles’ newest and only real flagbearers of classic punk rock, Barb Wire Dolls took the stage promptly at 5:15 PM and raised the temperature on an already hot afternoon with a scintillating exhibition of sheer intensity, boundless energy and fierce attitude flowing through the vocals, instruments and the members’ stage personalities. They annihilated the stage and put it beyond the realm of possibility for any act following them to top what they did. In addition, they placed flyers all over the Rainbow announcing their return to the Whisky-A-Go-Go in July and August for a weekly residency. Here is a photo gallery of their performance at the Rainbow by yours truly, a sincere attempt to capture the mayhem (each thumbnail opens up as full-sized image in a new tab):
