Queen V at Tammany Hall

Born and bred in Montclair, New Jersey, the woman who calls herself Queen V began showcasing her songs at New York clubs including CBGBs, Don Hill’s and the Bitter End. With her band, which also became known as Queen V in 1996, she landed some challenging opportunities, opening for Twisted Sister on Long Island, Bon Jovi in New Jersey, and Billy Idol in New York and along the West Coast. Through gigs at the Viper Room in Los Angeles, she gained fans in Lemmy Kilmeister of Motorhead and Tom Morello of Rage against the Machine, both of whom contributed to her new album, The Decade of Queen V. Queen V celebrated the release of the new album with a performance party at Tammany Hall tonight.

At Tammany Hall tonight, Queen V rocked – and I mean really rocked. The band rocked so hard and so well that I wondered why I had never heard of Queen V before this gig. In an era where the spotlight on rock often is thrown to indie rockers and rappers, Queen V provided the antithesis – a classic rock sound performed masterfully. Each song was punctuated by strong and passionate vocals, frequently stinging guitar leads, a powerful rhythm section and lots of rock and roll swagger and attitude. Think of other female-fronted classic rock bands, like Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Pat Benatar, and know that Queen V rocks harder, on a level approaching newer bands like Paramore, Flyleaf and Hunter Valentine. Given the exposure, Queen V will stand the test and impress large rock audiences.