Baldacchino Tent Bar – Fort Fringe

Tonight at 5:00 p.m.

Val’s Take: The CooLots are one of Capital Fringe’s repeat performers, this time bringing their funk-infused brand of rock and roll to give the festival a fiery conclusion. Their bass lines are formidable and the lyrical messages empowering and dangerous. The rock that they channel is the decidedly heavy; the women have clearly spent their fair share of time studying the greats of modern rock radio and now they’re making the statement that their guitar riffs can be just as crunchy and their shouts can be just as loud. If you missed them last year, don’t make that mistake again.

The other two bands on this bill let their funk shine a little more prominently. The Good Thing is an outright funk throwback from singer/bassist Kim Jade Fry’s sultry alto ordering the crowd to “get funky” to the appropriately skronky guitar riffs. Meanwhile, Water Seed refer to their style as “musical gumbo” as there’s a wide mix of stylistic elements (note the soulful vocals, Caribbean percussion and Afrobeat-esque horn section), but they’re all tinged with the overarching inspiration of Bourbon Street.

Fringe Play For Which They’re The Best Fit: That Kind of Girl. Although all three bands have strong female representation and the CooLots are decidedly feminist, this play wears its feminism a little differently and more vehemently. That said, both performances will use music to make strong socio-political statements.