Storming on to the stage with a powerful rendition of Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation, Reine Beau leads her audience on an educational trip through the history of the Women of Rock. I first saw Reine Beau last year when she presented The Blondie Story (reviewed here), which is on again this year.
In front of a huge screen, she briefly outlines the importance of women in the rock and roll story. Who was the first woman rock star? I was confident that it was Janis Joplin. I was wrong. Sister Rosetta Tharpe played electric guitar in the 1930s! She had a white male backing band and toured with her female lover. How scandalous! She inspired Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. She was the Godmother of Rock and Roll.
Another blues singer, Bessie Smith inspired Janis Joplin. Janis was the first woman to make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Reine treated the audience to a rip-roaring interpretation of Piece of my Heart.
Then she turned to the career of my particular favourite, Suzi Quattro. Told that she could be a second Janis Joplin, she declared that she’d rather be the first Suzi Quattro. This is when it got even more interesting. Reine led us through the career of two band I’d never heard of before, Heart and The Runaways. What have I been missing all these years? I’ve checked out the songs Crazy on You and Cherry Bomb Reine delivered on Spotify. They’re absolutely brilliant!
From California, Reine steers us over to the Poet of Punk, Patti Smith with Because the Night, sings two songs from the Tina Turner songbook, before returning to Joan Jett. Joan’s a legend. She was turned down by 23 different record labels, so she set up her own, to help women get into music. She loved rock music. She wanted others to do the same.
As Reine Beau sang out the Joan Jett classic, I Love Rock and Roll, the screen fired up more legends not covered in this show, Siouxsie Sioux, Debbie Harry and others I didn’t recognise.
Rock and Roll is overwhelmingly male, but the Women of Rock have a very prominent place. To succeed, and even to get a hearing in the times they were breaking through, they needed more guts and determination than the men. They had it in spades. They did it. We’re all richer because of it. Their music will live on forever.
Reviewed by David Kerr
More information and tickets here
Leave a Reply