Pet Tigers

September 14, 2012 David Hardy
Neon Reverb Night 3 @ Beauty Bar

Photos by Aileen Bird

It was a tough call on which Neon Reverb show to check-out on Thursday night, but I followed a hunch and ended up at Beauty Bar. I was glad that the show was outdoors, but as usual, I showed up on-time in a city where shows routinely run an hour late. I kicked around the bar and caught the opening act.

Pet Tigers aren’t new on the local scene, but this was my first time seeing them. I’ve always liked the sound of a bass guitar running through a RAT pedal, and Ryan Arcoraci does it pretty well. The three piece is guitarless, which makes for an interesting approach. Their sound is both lo-fi and 80's, like a Factory Records band on coke. Singer Liz Ofte is likely the only person I’ve ever seen play a keytar seriously. She played it with dexterity while howling out lyrics like “shake baby like you did last night.” - David Hardy - Arts Vegas

If VH1 has taught us anything, it’s that everyone loves them some ’80s. Pet Tigers—last Saturday’s Freakin’ Frog closing act—know it. Amid Pat Benatarish melodies meshed with Blondie-style power vocals, and singer Liz Ofte’s black-and-white attire and lime-green eye shadow, the trio are proving that girls still want to have fun, just like in the Aquanet days.


“I like the ’80s a lot,” Ofte says. “I’ve been in a lot of ’80s cover bands. I like the very electronic [sound] and how simple and fun the music is.”

The flashback doesn’t stop there. The new local band, only on the scene since December, have filled the slot typically reserved for a guitar with—what else?—keytar. “They’re so corny that they’re cool,” laughs drummer Tracey Hope. Adds Ofte: “I ordered it on eBay from England. I came in the highest bidder and didn’t realize I was bidding in Euros, so it was more money than I thought.”

Bassist Ryan Arcoraci says the lack of guitar has had a positive effect. “Every band thinks you’ve got to have a guitar, a bass and a drum. It was an artistic challenge to take away instruments and try to make more sound with less.”Pet Tigers’ Frog show isn’t just a celebration of nostalgia; watching a band having a visibly good time onstage can be fresh in and of itself. “We’re just all about having fun,” Arcoraci says. “We want people to participate and enjoy it.” - Las Vegas Weekly-Laura Davis

"Like all of the best early punk and power pop female vocalists - Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, Belinda Carlisle, Joan Jett and many more - Pet Tigers' frontwoman Liz Ofte teeters on the edge of melody and chaos, and perhaps thanks to the two-minute run time on "You're the Last Thing," she maintains pure-pop sass throughout. The band doesn't miss guitars as the crunchy organ's countermelody supports the vocal hook, while Tracey Hope's drums lay down psycho-60s beats and Ryan Arcoraci's grimy basslines provide sufficient levels of rock. Clearly, Pet Tigers are a band to watch."

- Greg Simpson, Punknews.org


- Pet Tigers