If I had to pick a favorite artist to emerge since my time as a music critic, I don’t know that it could be anyone other than Nashville’s Those Darlins (which shouldn’t be news to any regular PHILTHY readers). The band is the lovechild of Nikki Kvarnes and Jessi Zazu — possibly the most chicly badass ladies in the music industry – in addition to drummer Linwood Regensburg. Over the past half-a-dozen years they’ve put out three albums that have taken them from twangy, country punks on Those Darlins, to garage psychedlica on follow-up, Screws Get Loose, and, most recently, Blur the Line, released in 2013, which blends ‘70s rock with proto-punk, for something that is as infectious as it is existentially profound. In those past six years Those Darlins have played the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection more than that number of times, each time proving to be one of the year’s best shows. Well, tonight, May 6th, the girls (and Linwood) are back in town, performing at Kung Fu Necktie for the first time in half a decade. The tour is in support of the band’s split live release with Diarrhea Planet, Live at Pickathon, which dropped last month and documents each of the Nashville band’s live performances from last August’s Pickathon Festival. Before coming out to the show, read my chat with Nikki Kvarnes last February, just prior to their co-headlining tour with Diarrhea Planet, which had them at our very own Boot & Saddle; she tells me about the band’s most recent sounds and how they approach performing live.
