The Cliks at Milk Bar in San Francisco, CA (8/20/2010)

If you have so far missed the Guts N’ Glory tour, headlined by Canadian indie rockers The Cliks and shared by fellow DeGrassi High alumni Hunter Valentine and L.A.-based alternative quartet Killola, you’ve, quite simply, deprived yourself of one of the strongest rock bills of the year. During a performance at the Milk Bar in the legendary Haight district of San Francisco (one of the chillest spots in the city), the three acts did nothing less than conjure up a little bit of magic, and offer up a tantalizing offering to the rock gods.

Killola, fronted by also-actress Lisa Rieffel, started the night off with a blazing set of charged-up, deliciously infectious alternative pop/rock. Rieffel is like a mythical punk pixie with Cyndi Lauper’s spunk and Pat Benatar’s style, and watching her rev up the crowd with incisively messy vocals and crackling energy (culminating with a nifty slide down the handrails of a nearby staircase on her legs) was a treat to behold. “Cracks in the Armor,” much more hard-hitting and powerful live than on the record, and the live favorite “I Wanna See Your Dick,” were two especially memorable moments.

Next up was three-piece indie rockers Hunter Valentine, who did nothing less than bring the house down and effectively steal the show. Fronted by stunningly talented vocalist and guitarist Kiyomi McCloskey, a true artist seemingly unafraid of baring her soul to a roomful of strangers (And really, what more does being an artist really entail?), the group played a fantastic set of tunes most influenced structurally by classic rock in the Janis Joplin vein, but infused with a palpable sense of modern songcraft and riffing.

McCloskey herself evokes Joplin with her dynamic voice and stage presence, with a touch of Joan Jett thrown in for good measure. Whether she’s whispering with a nasally timbre of hurt or roaring with conviction, Hunter Valentine’s frontwoman alone is worth the price of admission, even before factoring in the heart-shaking drumming of Laura Petracca and supremely talented bassist Adrienne Lloyd. The wrenching, dynamic “Break This,” irresistibly catchy “Scarface,” and epitome-of-perfect-pop-rock “The Stalker” were among the highlights of the set.

As frontman and transgender hero Lucas Silveira took the stage with The Cliks, the room was immediately drawn in. It was an effect this reviewer has not witnessed very often, but as Silveria launched into the night’s set, it was clear why this was a musician, and a band, people stand up and pay attention to. Silveira’s precise riffing and sparkling-yet-gritty voice (truly what a rock singer is supposed to sound like) demands focus on the part of the listener, and his chemistry with bassist Tobi Parks, and the absolutely fantastic drumming of Brian Viglione, epitomized what a great rock show is supposed to be. There were many grinding, soaring songs in a dynamic setlist, but the powefully broken “Complicated” was probably the single most memorable moment of the night.

It’s no secret that, because of The Cliks’ undeniable connection with the LGBTQI community, one shared by the openly gay Hunter Valentine, most of the crowd was comprised of individuals with loosely connected politics, or, at the very least, identities. Instead of feeling exclusivity, however, this element had much to do with why it was such a memorable show. It’s nice to know that, at least sometimes, this music of distortion and screaming can still be about what the rock gods always intended: the soundtrack that allows the outsiders, the scared kids in the dark, to come out and dance.

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Tags: milk bar, san francisco, the cliks