Alison Mosshart named rock royalty in Venus Zine.
The high priestess of hard rock kills it onstage
Everyone comes into this world screaming, but few continue to holler long after they’ve learned how to walk. No woman can summon that primitive cry quite like Alison Mosshart. The Florida-born London transplant first unleashed her voice in high school when she fronted the punk band Discount. Today, she growls, bellows, moans, and whispers kiss-me-deadly lyrics as co-founder of the Kills and the Dead Weather.
Mosshart’s gritty voice spews great vengeance and furious fire. You covet that voice and its tremendous power. You want to steal those nicotine-ravaged pipes to dress down your foes or tell some impressionable bloke to treat you like his mother. Like Chrissie Hynde, Mosshart evokes effortless cool with an onstage persona that swings between subtle swagger and breathtaking ferocity, flipping on a dime as she thrashes about with that mop of black hair. She’s confident enough to team up with rock giants Jack White and Jamie Hince and not only hold her own, but even overshadow their efforts.
Footage of Mosshart playing an early Discount show recently surfaced online. The video depicts an artist on the verge of finding her voice and tapping into her power-she’s at about half-throttle compared to current Dead Weather gigs. With a new Kills album on the horizon, it’s possible she’ll ratchet up her performance level once again and inch one step closer to the rock ‘n’ roll throne. - Jamie Gadette
Everyone comes into this world screaming, but few continue to holler long after they’ve learned how to walk. No woman can summon that primitive cry quite like Alison Mosshart. The Florida-born London transplant first unleashed her voice in high school when she fronted the punk band Discount. Today, she growls, bellows, moans, and whispers kiss-me-deadly lyrics as co-founder of the Kills and the Dead Weather.
Mosshart’s gritty voice spews great vengeance and furious fire. You covet that voice and its tremendous power. You want to steal those nicotine-ravaged pipes to dress down your foes or tell some impressionable bloke to treat you like his mother. Like Chrissie Hynde, Mosshart evokes effortless cool with an onstage persona that swings between subtle swagger and breathtaking ferocity, flipping on a dime as she thrashes about with that mop of black hair. She’s confident enough to team up with rock giants Jack White and Jamie Hince and not only hold her own, but even overshadow their efforts.
Footage of Mosshart playing an early Discount show recently surfaced online. The video depicts an artist on the verge of finding her voice and tapping into her power-she’s at about half-throttle compared to current Dead Weather gigs. With a new Kills album on the horizon, it’s possible she’ll ratchet up her performance level once again and inch one step closer to the rock ‘n’ roll throne. - Jamie Gadette