Friday May 23, 2008 (7pm)
Combining party-minded militancy, lesbian lust, and aggro electro beats that pummel and punish their listeners, the ladies of Tampa's Yo Majesty defy any and all expectations. Their records feature frenetic, lo-fi, dirty-South jams fueled by all the urgency of early hip-hop and punk — and yet they only hint at the volatility of their notorious live performances. At Yo Maj's anything-goes shows, Jwl. B and Shunda K lay down gospel harmonies to match their raunchy raps, jump out into the crowd, and even go topless on occasion — not in the hopes of titillating, but as a show of brute brashness more macho than most thugs can muster. Tonight, they tear the soon-to-be-shuttered Studio A apart.
– Jason Jeffers