Quintron and Miss Pussycat – Concert Review 10/18/23

Review by Ava DiStaso

On October 18th I went to the Starland Ballroom to see Violent Femmes, a folk punk band known for their hit “Blister In the Sun,” as they performed for the 40th anniversary of their self-titled album. Their opening act was a group from New Orleans entitled Quintron and Miss Pussycat. I had never heard of them before… As I stood in the general admission section, listening to people repeatedly cheer for IHOP ads, nothing could have prepared me for the wonderfully bizarre evening that was about to unfold.

A screen lifted from the stage to reveal Quintron and Miss Pussycat, and the first thing I saw can only be described as a time machine or perhaps a science experiment gone awry. Quintron’s instrument of choice was apparently all of them. He had an immense metal trunk that was propped up precariously on a stand with wires spilling from all sides. From what I gathered, it contained an organ keyboard and various electronic and synth instruments as well as some pedals. At his feet was a small hi-hat and to his left was a ride cymbal, a wood block, and yet another insane piece of technology. He had a drum machine that he had built himself. It had a strange, spinning apparatus on the top which only added to the feeling that whatever was about
to go down on stage would be straight out of a science fiction film.

His counterpart, Miss Pussycat, was contrastingly low on supplies. She was dressed eclectically in a sort of cape and skirt, and held a pair of maracas. In the center of the stage there was a drummer with a sparse snare and cymbal.

The odd trio launched into their first number and the sounds that came out of them cannot be classified by any genre I’ve encountered. Quintron pounded the mysterious metal box, displaying some highly questionable organ playing as he leaned heavily into dissonant chords. At the same time, his leg jogged up and down on the hi-hat and Miss Pussycat’s voice clashed with his in a squawking fervor. The insanity only increased as they continued their performance, reaching a fever pitch when Quintron decided to just “jam” and hummed into a device similar to a talkbox. Simultaneously, he used a drumstick to both hit the cymbal adjacent to his setup and to play riffs on what appeared to be an electric lap guitar. Meanwhile, Miss Pussycat had managed to set up a puppet show and made marionettes dance to the maniacal din, much to the delight and confusion of the crowd.

After just four confusing but rollicking songs, their performance was over. Quintron was experiencing technical difficulties with the organ in his be-stickered trunk, but put on a brave face and still delivered a memorable show. I’m fairly certain that none of us were exactly sure what we had witnessed, but we all knew it was something we’d never seen before and weren’t likely to see again!

Photo by Ava DiStaso.