THEY FUCKING KILLED IT>>>

Turns out that I need to get down to Olympia more often.

Walking around its gloriously flat downtown; stopping in to prefunk at the Brotherhood Lounge and later at Jake's; seeing the city teeming with young, fresh-faced hipsters-it was kinda like heaven.

Rounding the night out with a performance from a brand new band sounded just right.

It didn't hurt that this new band was Wild Flag, a veritable supergroup of badass indie rock women (Carrie Brownstein, Mary Timony, Janet Weiss, and Rebbeca Cole), culled from a number of awesome bands like Sleater-Kinney, Quasi, Helium, and the Minders. It also didn't hurt that Wild Flag fucking killed it, in what turned out to be the band's very first public performance.

The table was set nicely for them after lively performances from the jangly Royal Baths and the tight, muscular Western Hymn. While Western Hymn was still onstage, bassist Sarah Utter quipped, "Next up is Wild Flag. I've been looking online for their music, but no luck. I'm excited."

The whole crowd was abuzz when Wild Flag took the stage. From that first raucous chord struck by singer/guitarist Carrie Brownstein, Wild Flag had the crowd in the palm of their hands.

Led by the virtuosic Brownstein and Mary Timony, Wild Flag play punk-inflected guitar rock that still has the kind of playful looseness that could be expected from a band that's just finding its footing. All four band members take turns doing vocals; a couple cover songs are sprinkled in (The Velvet Underground's "She's My Best Friend" and the Standell's "Dirty Water"); when a modest mosh-pit opened like a sinkhole near the front of the stage, Brownstein laughed and thanked them for dancing at a "very un-dance band."

My favorite aspect of Wild Flag was the dynamic between Mary Timony's seemingly quiet, standoffish persona, and Carrie Brownstein's hugely animated rock star presence. A classic combination, and one I hope to see last for quite a while, as I impatiently wait for Wild Flag's debut album - expected to be recorded for Merge Records early next year.

LINK: More photos of the show at our Photo Hot Spot