Free Week Live Shots

Girl in a Coma

Frank, Jan. 4

An hour before the first amplifier was switched on, there was a long line outside Frank. The hordes weren't there for the artisanal hotdogs, either. They wanted to see Girl in a Coma. Buzzing with anticipation and $2 beers, the new music venue around the corner from Antone's packed a mix of well-dressed Austinites, swarms of videographers, and lesbian superfans who would've been there at any price, let alone free. There was a lot of love for Love Inks, who opened with a subtle set of palpitating, reverb-laden electro-pop. But it was sharp songwriter Elle King who drew big cheers with her man-hating banjo ballad "It's Good To Be a Man" and a cover of Khia's lusty ode to oral exploration, "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)." Ripping through a tight set of mostly new material, punky San Antonio trio Girl in a Coma made expert use of Frank's intimacy with jokes and small talk, exceeding its set time to play "Clumsy Sky" and a devilish version of "Walkin' After Midnight." Frontwoman Nina Diaz remains captivating with her half-nightingale, half-vampire presence, and the rhythm section was sharp as a shiv, giving everyone much more than they paid for.