Hunter Valentine at the Mercury Lounge

Hunter Valentine is formed in 2004 in Toronto, Canada, and is now based in Brooklyn. Though a hard-touring band since its inception, the band gained its greatest fame last year, when its tour was documented on the Showtime series The Real L Word. The We're Here to Recruit You DVD, shot at the Stonewall Inn on the 40th anniversary of the historic Stonewall Riots, interspersed casual band chit-chat with live performances and like the television series firmly established the band members as celesbians. Hunter Valentine has released its third album, Collide and Conquer, and will tour with Cyndi Lauper this summer, playing the Beacon Theatre on July 10.

Kiyomi McCloskey, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Hunter Valentine, has large tattoos on her right arm of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Our Lady of Guadalupe. At Mercury Lounge tonight, she wore a rosary around her neck. Nevertheless, throughout the concert, she swore and drank whiskey, beer and anything else that was passed to her from the audience. This kind of tension defines her and the band, and this is what ripped through their concert performance. Hunter Valentine rocked – hard, fast and furious. McCloskey spit her vocals harshly and passionately, although they seemed to be somewhat undermixed or buried by the instruments. The four musicians played with seemingly unbridled energy. The songs on their albums have strong pop hooks, but the stage is where the band lives.