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THE MOTELS IN CONCERT:
More than three decades after their breakout hit "Only the Lonely" made them global sensations, LA new wave pioneers The Motels remain the epitome of cool. Frontwoman Martha Davis is as iconic as ever in concert, commanding the stage with style and intensity as she casts her emotive voice over the band's angular guitars, icy synths, and skeletal rhythms. The group's restrained songs are minimal but full of nuance and sentiment, and Davis squeezes every last drop of emotion out of melancholy anthems like "Suddenly Last Summer". Fans looking for a taste of the '80s while hoping to catch some of the band's highly anticipated new material will relish The Motels as they continue to make new wave feel fresh.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
The Motels formed in Berkley, CA in 1971 under the name The Warfield Foxes. After changing their name and relocating to Los Angeles in 1975 they became a staple of the city's burgeoning new wave scene, playing shows at iconic venues like Madam Wong's and sharing rehearsal space with The Go-Go's. Capitol Records took note, and in 1979 the band released their self-titled debut album on the label. The record went gold on the strength of popular singles like "Total Control", and their 1980 sophomore album was equally successful thanks to favorites like "Danger". Things really took off with their 1982 album All Four One, which cracked the Top 20 thanks to the international hit "Only the Lonely". The band's chart run continued in 1983 with the song "Suddenly Last Summer", which peaked at No. 1 on the mainstream rock charts and went on to become one of the decade's most enduring tunes. Despite their success the band's classic lineup called it quits in 1987, but Davis began performing again with a new lineup in 1998. Since then several of the band's original members have rejoined the group, drumming up excitement among fans for The Motels' continued touring and return to the studio.
While Martha and the Motels has a solid set with poor audio from the board, Bow Wow Wow was missing Annabelle and outside of their hit, struggled. When In Rome II tried very hard but couldn’t make a set out of “The Promise”.
I didnt go to this show for the Motels. But they were incredible. The songs sounded relevant and contemporary, not dated. And her voice is unchanged. It’s so great hearing music well performed without auto tune. And her backing band was really solid. Highly recommended show!
The wifey and I went to see the 80's Live Show featuring When in Rome II, Bow Wow Wow and The Motels at ATL's Buckhead Theater. Overall, the concert was pretty good, but we left with mixed feelings. Basically, The Motels were outstanding while When in Rome II and Bow Wow Wow were terrible. The Motels played all the hits and a couple of deeper cuts and put together a very well performed set. There were a few people who seemed to really enjoy Bow Wow Wow, but The Motels were clearly the more polished, better known act and the smallish crowd was very enthusiastic. I realize that it's hard getting the original band together, but the "replacement" singer for Bow Wow Wow left much to be desired and When in Rome II was completely forgettable. I would encourage 80s fans to see this show, but hopefully others won't have the "loved one but hated the other" feeling we had after this concert.
The Motels and Bow Wow Wow still have the songs, the chops and the energy of any great band, no matter the era.
Awesome concert. The Motels were great. Bow wow wow was great, totally ramped up and will make you want to dance just like in years past. They had so much energy. When in Rome was very good but don’t come thinking you’re going to see the original band. The keyboardist was original but drums and guitar were not. The guitarist did some gigs with Ultravox and played one POC their songs. Can’t say enough about Motels. They were fantastic and haven’t lost a beat. Her voice is still as good as ever and her haunting lyrics and the greatest hits were spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed this concert and the Buckhead Theatre has great acoustics and you could walk up front or sit in the balcony. Doesn’t matter either place is good for seeing and listening but it’s nice to be able to sit (getting old unfortunately) but still great seats. If they come anywhere near you definitely go. You won’t be disappointed.
The show was great! The Motels were fantastic. It was a special treat to help Martha celebrate her birthday. Great time had by all!
First of all- it was a cold night and snow had fallen so there weren’t a lot of people at the venue. This turned out wonderful for us as we were given front row VIP seating and I was able to get up close and personal with the three bands. All of the bands were wonderful, Bow Wow Wow, When in Rome II and the motels. Martha sings like she did in her 20s. The saxophone player, and original band member proved he is still as talented as ever, the band as a whole sounded great! Martha regaled us with a variety of old hits and new hits from their album that they released last year-which I Purchased as well as an old band photograph. Because there were so few of us at the venue, everyone who wanted to, got to meet all three bands and I got an autograph and photo ! This was my nine-year-old daughter’s first concert and a wonderful up-close and personal experience. If you stayed home because of the snow, you really missed something special !
She’s just a phenomenal vocalist and the guitarist was outstanding
It was a fun night at the Paradise last Sunday. All three bands were quite entertaining and it was nice to get an autograph and a picture after the show.
Boston's Birthday bash for Martha Davis was a rockin' party! The Motels sound was incredible... as if zero years had passed. We celebrated Martha turning 69, she sounded like she was 29! Opening acts of When in Rome and Bow Wow Wow were fun.
Three acts for one low price. When In Rome II opened the show and they were ok. Limited catalog and maybe one original member left? But hey, it’s “The Promise” live, so it’s fine. Bow Wow Wow was next. OMG. So much fun! High energy and sounded great. Chloe Demetria did an amazing job on some classic tunes. My favorite was “Do You Wanna Hold Me?” Finally The Motels. Martha Davis still has it. Superb vocals and stage presence. They opened with my favorite “Suddenly Last Summer” which had a good portion of this Gen X audience singing along. TLA is a pretty basic no frills venue that’s mostly SRO but the smaller area made for a more intimate concert. In all, very glad we went and would go see the Motels and Bow Wow WOW again, solo or as part of an 80s show.
The Motels sound like they did during the 80's. One the only 80's singers who took care of their voice.
Martha Davis still rocks the music world. The Motels put on an incredible show at the Canyon in Montclair. Brought me back to the late 70’s and early 80’s instantly. The music is timeless.
I surprised my boyfriend for his birthday with tickets at this really cool venue place. Martha and Marty were so personable, taking time to engage the crowd in one on ones after the show. My boyfriend was such a fan and last saw her back int he 80's. Said her voice was amazingly the same, stood up several times cheering on her songs. She did a lot from her first album and her new songs are very cool tunes as well. We were able to do an additional chat time with Martha which was so fun, just love her open personality with her fans. Martha please sing a concert in OR or Canada!!
what a treat to see her twice in one year 80s Weekend #8 at Microsoft Theater and at The Canyon. 30 years was worth the wait. great songs. great sound... and what a HUGGER!!! she posed for a photo op with my 12 year old and we both received autographs on some nice KROQ Stickers for our collection. Martha Davis and The Motels. will be seeing her again, we hope.
Martha can still belt it out and all the music was perfect. I was hoping for "Remember the Nights" but I can't have everything! Got to meet them after the show and super super nice. Martha is a lovely lady. The have a new album from 2018 so I recommend it!!
I loved their performance. Martha still has her pipes after 40 years. We saw them at The Rose in Pasadena. I love The Rose, but was very disappointed in the food this time. We ended up taking home $85.00 worth of raw steak (not medium by any stretch of the imagination) to our dogs. But The Motels rocked the roof off the place. I would recommend to anyone lucky enough to catch them.
The Motels were extremely entertaining! I purchased the tickets for my mother and I. My mother is a huge fan. I recall as a child always listening to The Motels because my mom would play the cassette over and over again hahahaha. My father passed away two months ago, I think attending this concert and listening to Martha's amazing voice brought back so many good memories for my mother and myself. GREAT SHOW and new members ROCKED IT! I couldn't keep my eyes off the guitarist hahahaha he was intense. We loved it!
Excellent show. The band was awesome and Martha rocks. Funny, fun, talented...awesome to see them playing just as strong as ever. Go!
When tickets say 7:00 pm. I expect the headliner to go on at least by 9:00 or 9:30. We got to M15 at 8:30 and was told that there were 4 opening bands and The Motels wouldn't go on until 11:00-11:30 WTH! The first two bands were so bad that we left and went down the street to listen to a really great band and never went back to M15. I will think twice about seeing a headliner at the M15 again. I'm not going to spend my money on overpriced alcohol to listen to crappy bands because the venue wants to "stretch the bar" sales
