The soft-core Internet porn phenomenon known as the Suicide Girls revealed its scantily clad cabaret of women Tuesday night at the Icon.
SuicideGirls.com, created in 2001, is devoted to illustrating beauty and sexuality in a manner that deviates far from mainstream. The new age pin-up girl models on the Web site are pierced, tattooed and undeniably hot.
The vast majority of the models are all-natural amateurs most likely to be writing online journal entries or checking out hardcore records in the neighborhood music shop.
Blending this idealism with tasteful nudity has birthed a sexual novelty that's fun and expressive. The free-spirited sexuality of the website is what defines the Suicide Girls' live show.
In the belly of the Icon, audience members ranged from people in their teens to those in their late fifties, with more females than one would expect considering the sweaty, erotic atmosphere.
The opening act for the night was local hardcore band, As Summer Dies.
Angel, ASD's bassist and backup vocalist, fit the Suicide Girl look perfectly. With fair, inked skin, tight black outfits and long red dreads that danced along with her seductive playing, she was high-quality, burlesque material.
Second on stage was Tsu Shi Mami Re, a three-piece all-female group from Tokyo who flirted with the crowd in Japanese and English in exchange for cheers and delighted catcalls.
The lights went out and the Icon erupted as the seven Suicide Girls strutted onstage wearing thongs and boy-shorts complimented with tiny black cut-off tank tops. Seconds later they broke into a sexually charged dance routine.
Many women in the crowd were pierced and tattooed themselves, and showed an appreciation for what the girls represent.
"We love their tattoos. The girls are artistic and sexy," said Jill, 22, from Rochester.
Before the opening song had finished, the girls had shed their tops revealing the trademark Suicide Girl X-shaped pasties.
"We've only got two rules," said Reagan, the group's lead dancer. "No cameras and no touching. When a girl takes something off, we like it when you get loud. So get f**king rowdy!"
The show started cooking at boiling temperatures and never cooled down.
Although the dancer's bottoms and pasties never came off, every act the girls performed was generally another way to dominate the crowd with reinvented erotica.
One act featured scantily clad nurses stripping to an industrial rock remix of the Foo Fighters' "Darling Nikki."
Another act featured busty blonde Reagan dancing her way out of her black-lace bra and daisy dukes to AC/DC's "Back in Black," all while spewing brew into the crowd.
In traditional burlesque form, several of the acts were comical scenes that meshed well with erotic staging. One scene paid tribute to Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" with a performance of "Stuck in the Middle With You." The sultry Ms. Blonde tantalized the helpless Suicide Girl who played the role of the cop, recreating the film's infamous torture scene with a sexy comedic twist.
While the show was taking place, there was a refreshing camaraderie in the air that one would never expect to encounter at a traditional strip show.
The largest crowd response of the night was for the classic hoola-hoop routine performed by the very beautiful, very tattooed Ziolita. The older gentlemen at the bar came out of the woodwork for this one. It was like being at a USO show in the South Pacific during wartime.
The Suicide Girls have an unrated DVD for sale documenting their first burlesque tour in 2004; it oozes much of the same exotic sexuality.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
