The Bobby Lees @ Three Links

May, 12th 2023

Sleater-Kinney. Debbie Harry. B-52s. Siouxsie and the Banshees. All cis-identifying females or gender-fluid artists that The Bobby Lees have been compared to. The Godfather of Punk, Iggy Pop promotes them on their radio show. And late one night, their Instagram ad fell into my algorithm while my thumbs were fatigued. So come and find me in the Hollywood Junkyard I'm gonna be a star …

It’s a steamy Friday Night in Deep Ellum, cement is wet, neon reflects off the rainbow oil puddles, and doormen stand in the threshold of every club waiting for their opportunity to put a hand out and double check your fake ID. Meanwhile, a local band, described as “Snot Bubble Rock”, Mean Motor Scooter is warming up the slowly growing diverse crowd at Three Links, the downtown Dallas punk club. Usually, a crowd is similar in their stereotype but on this night, there were boys, girls, and some who don’t quite as neatly into either gender, young and old, unwashed punks, and familiar faces.

The Bobby Lee’s drummer, Macky Bowman, patches together his gear with Mean Motor Scooters to make a full drum set. As he works under the stage light, he whips his curly locks around, dancing and singing along to the interlude music, and begins what I believe to the slowest strip tease in history. Once has nothing but black tube socks, and some spare dollars in the waist band of his skivvies, The Bobby Lees wander onto the stage. They look as if they had just strolled off the bus, stale from miles driven, dirty from repeated wears, and most importantly, unpretentious.

The set is essentially their 2022 album, “Bellevue”, played in its entirety. With a few small pops of songs from previous albums like “Guttermilk”, and “Radiator”. Bass guitarist, Kendall Wind was a real scene stealer for the set, with a pulsing heart line for every song. Sam Quartin chaotically chants, furiously screeches, and purges themself as if the set is a furious mass exorcism. I'm gonna be so fuckin big They're gonna put me in the goddamn Redwoods next to General Sherman baby … The Bobby Lees maximize their intimate space at Three Links, Quartin moves from one end of the stage to another, even into the crowd. The drummer comes from behind the drums to stand center stage, to do some variation of a yoga poses in his underwear, and the bassists, Nick Casa, has the crowd riff on his guitar.

The Bobby Lees are experimental, unfiltered, unpolished, and embrace their sonic space. They close with a cover of “Be My Enemy” and behind them, the famous Three Links creed, “We Never Sleep”. The Bobby Lees blew out the garage doors of this club with their wood-saw guitar buzzing and switchblade lyrics.

Words & Photographs by Cassie Preston

Cassie Preston is allcaps M A G A Z I N E's creator, photographer & writer. She's born and bred right here in Dallas, Texas & takes a lot of pride in being "one of the few Native Dallasites left".

CONTACT: cassie@allcapsmagazine.com

FOLLOW: @straycatcassie

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