Review: Donnas play it straight at House of Blues

Spencer Patterson

Monday, May 5, 2003 | 8:11 a.m.

Avril Lavigne is often characterized as the anti-Britney, but that title seems a far better fit for the Donnas.

The San Francisco Bay Area's all-female quartet write all of their own songs, play their own instruments and definitely know how to rock.

As they proved Saturday night at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, the Donnas also know how to use sex appeal to their advantage. But unlike Ms. Spears, they manage to use it without allowing it to overshadow their music.

Together for more than a decade, the four twentysomethings finally hit it big with last year's album, "Spend the Night," specifically the first single, "Take It Off."

The song, which quickly propelled the band into the mainstream spotlight, is one of several on the new album that paint a not-so-subtle picture of an oversexed girl group on the prowl for fun. "Take Me to the Backseat," "You Wanna Get Me High" and "5 O'Clock in the Morning" all help set the scene.

Saturday night the Donnas played those songs and plenty of others in a similar vein. But the four young women did little else to further promote their party- girl reputation.

There were no belly shirts, no heavy makeup and no jewelry. Dressed modestly in jeans and short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts, the Donnas debunked the myth that their appeal is based solely on sexual themes.

With dark shaggy hair dangling over their eyes, bassist Maya Ford ("Donna F.") and guitarist Allison Robertson ("Donna R.") evoked images of the Ramones, a band whose musical sensibilities were not that far from the Donnas'.

The Donnas follow the Ramones' formula of short and fast numbers built around catchy hooks. Toss in an occasional nod to '80s hair metal, and you've got the band's sound pinned down.

Sometimes, the hooks are strong enough to carry the song. "Take It Off" is easily the Donnas' most addicting singalong, but "All Messed Up" and "Who Invited You" aren't that far behind.

Other tunes the band tried out didn't prove as memorable. "Do You Wanna Hit it?" and "Take Me to the Backseat" left many in the crowd of around 900 to chat among themselves early in the set.

Singer Brett Anderson ("Donna A.") tried her best to keep the audience involved, announcing each number and occasionally trying to engage fans with a bit of banter.

"I don't know if you've had your first dance yet, but this is our only song that's semi-romantic," she said, dedicating "Midnight Snack" to a pair of Vegas newlyweds. Far from a slow waltz, the song instead turned out to be one of the band's most raging, upbeat tracks.

Anderson's singing style was confident and forceful, but hardly left a lasting impression. Likewise, the bulk of Robertson's short guitar assaults seemed tossed off, adding little to the Donnas' sound.

The band's rhythm section, however, demonstrated its considerable chops from the downbeat of opener "It's on the Rocks." Ford anchored the mix, rumbling deeply on her bass, while Torry Castellano ("Donna C.") smashed viciously on her drums with a ferocity belying her tiny frame.

Castellano appeared wired throughout the show, bouncing wildly in place -- her long hair flying over the top of her head -- even as the band paused between songs.

Including the two encores, the set lasted just 50 minutes. Considering the Donnas' high-energy approach, and the somewhat repetitive nature of their music, that was enough time to gain an appreciation for their wiles, feminine and otherwise.