The Darts US brought their patented brand of Farfisa drenched, high energy garage/trash fun to Ballard last week for a crowd-pleasing night of very entertaining rock & roll. Bandleader and Head Dart Nicole Laurenne had a few new faces in her band but they didn’t miss a lick or an iota of the uplifting, goodtime vibe that fans have learned to expect from previous Darts visits to the PNW. It was especially exciting to see Lindsay Scarey, of Seattle’s much loved 38 Coffin, holding down the low end on bass guitar this time through. Lindsay fits seamlessly into the Darts tribe with her strong groove and animated presence.

The gals drew material primarily from their two most recent releases, 2023’s ‘Snake Oil’ and last year’s ‘Boomerang’ (both released on Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label), with a sprinkling of unreleased tunes that will be on an album slated to drop later this year. The new material sounded tight and it got this fan primed for the Darts’ next long player. Nicole and her crew are an exciting and vital live act, as evidenced by their growing following in the PNW. Every Darts show I’ve attended has drawn a larger crowd than the previous visit and I would expect that trend to continue.

It’s worth noting that Nicole has a second very active musical project, Black Viiolet, in which she indulges her fondness for jazz and cabaret style vocals. Think Eartha Kitt meets Thievery Corporation and you’re headed in the right direction.