In early August, my friend Brigitte and I visited the Besame store in Burbank. Besame creates reproductions of makeup and lipstick shades from the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and beyond. Basically, it’s a vintage loving girls dream! Anyways, it was here we found a flyer advertising a show for Lizzy & the Triggerman in September. Brigitte and I love anything vintage and were intrigued by the flyer so we decided to give it a go!
Before the show, I watched a few videos on Youtube to get an idea of what we were getting ourselves into. Lizzy is a Jazz singer with an impressive band backing her up. This is not a common thing in modern music; it’s a thing of the past. She does covers of modern songs (such as The Strokes “Someday”) and sings her own original songs.
The show was at the El Rey Theatre, a 1936 art deco theatre on the Miracle Mile. Walking through the theatre’s doors, it was, as the kids say, a vibe. I suddenly felt like I was transported back into time. Most people were dressed in vintage garb and cigarette girls walked around the venue. The energy was fantastic and my boyfriend and I did not mind waiting around before the show started to take it all in.
The show opened with the California Feetwarmers. They are a Jazz band that play ragtime and Dixieland inspired music. They really set the mood for what was coming next. People drank and swing danced as they played. And in case you are wondering, yes, they are on Spotify if you would like to check them out.
Lizzy & the Triggerman came next and started their act with a Jazz rendition of Fiona Apple’s “Criminal”. Lizzy told the crowd she was an opera singer before turning to Jazz, and you can very much tell. She hits the high notes excellently and stays hitting them. My favorite act of the night was her cover of Britney Spear’s “…Baby One More Time”. It was sultry and sexy; she made it her own. As for the rest of the show, Lizzy included other acts such as Jake DuPree, a burlesque dancer and Tammi Savoy, a Jazz singer based in Chicago. Both were an excellent addition to the show!
Although Jazz can be slow, especially to a younger audience, Lizzy kept it fresh and funny. Her personality really shined through for the two hours I saw her perform. She cracked jokes, talked about drugs, and even sang a song about Hitler dying (the song by the way, is Irvin Berlin’s “When That Man Is Dead and Gone”). She wore beautiful sparkling dresses that were to die for and sang her heart out. I did not know this going in, but apparently the show was put on as a sort of release party for their new EP .
Overall, it was a great show. My boyfriend and I had a good time, and Brigitte and her girlfriend seemed to be having a blast as well. If you ever see a flyer or a social media post advertising a show, take a chance! None of us had ever heard of Lizzy & the Triggerman but we went anyways and had a fun Saturday night. Tickets were only $18 and my boyfriend and I even found street parking off Wilshire making it an affordable night out. We also got dinner at the nearby Canter’s Deli making it a perfectly vintage but modern date night.
As of now, Lizzy & the Triggerman are not on Spotify but they are on Youtube and Instagram. There are currently no future show dates but definitely keep an eye out for this iconic Jazz singer and her band.
