Washington, DC. New Year’s Day, 1993.
This show was the first I had heard of GVSB, and at the time, they hadn’t yet put out a record on Touch & Go. It was New Year’s Day in DC and Jawbox was playing at the ‘old’ 9:30 Club on F Street. Even though the infamous support beam that was directly in front of the stage is blocking a third of the shot, I’m really glad I took this photo. This whole show was really something. Girls Against Boys (aka GVSB, aka Girls Versus Boys, aka whatever) were really dense and had a very confident swagger. To GVSB’s credit, I was so thoroughly blown away that I went to The Rev in Baltimore the next night to see them with Holy Rollers. And again, another GVSB home run.
"How were Jawbox?" you might be asking. As a 4-piece, Jawbox were, as usual, pretty effin’ awesome.
To be honest, I kinda drifted away from GVSB after Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby, but I know they definitely went bobbing for pavement when the "sexy" angle became their M.O. Soon after that, they signed to a major, put out one too many New Wet Kojak albums, were sighted doing DJ sets by Rolling Stone journos at trendy clubs and kinda petered out. And plus, the artwork to that major label record suffers from stereotypical late 90’s Mac Attack eyesore foofery.
GVSB picked themselves up by the bootstraps and put out an album on the respectable Jade Tree and then obviously were cut a large check to back up a certain unnamed celeb in a regretful reality show. Even with their missteps, for a few years there, they deservedly were kings of the roost at Touch & Go.
Oh, and if you don’t have any recordings by their band prior to GVSB, Soulside, I strongly urge you to pick up their compilation CD on Dischord.
GVSB 1 (live at the 9:30 Club ’93)
GVSB 2 (live at the 9:30 Club ’93)
GVSB 3 (live at the 9:30 Club ’93)
GVSB 4 (live at the 9:30 Club ’93)