In a special episode of satirical heavy metal show Two Minutes To Late Night, reoccurring character Hard Melissa took over hosting duties for a spinoff segment titled Start Today. The inaugural episode, which originally aired in August, featured Baltimore co-ed feminist hardcore-punk collective War On Women as the energizing house band playing to "guests" who fill the seats at NYC metal venue Saint Vitus Bar. While the full episode is available here, you can now watch an isolated performance of War On Women as they put their own spin on Katy Perry's 2013 pop hit "Dark Horse" with a guest appearance by Brooklyn-based rapper Miss Eaves — after she's carried onstage in a chair about two thirds of the way through the song.
War On Women singer Shawna Potter shows off impressive range in the performance, transforming the song from a one-dimensional auto-tuned radio hit into a dynamic punk sing-a-long, and once Miss Eaves pops in with her whip-smart flow while working over the entire stage and crowd, the show gains the energy of a true underground performance and escapes the novel pitfalls of a one-off ironic cover song.
Catch more performances like this on the official Two Minutes To Late Night YouTube channel, and read more on Shawna Potter's thoughts regarding hecklers, activism, and her influences growing up in this Revolver profile from June.
