Nita Strauss, Diamante, Starbenders, Sign of Lies

Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City, OK

March 23, 2024

Review and Gallery By: Ally Arens

Guitarist extraordinaire Nita Strauss, known for her recent work with Alice Cooper and Demi Lovato, is in the midst of a string of solo tour dates in support of her most recent solo album, 2023’s The Call of the Void, with an all-female lineup supported by Diamante and Starbenders. The Encore Nights had the absolute pleasure of capturing the ladies in action at Oklahoma City’s Diamond Ballroom for a night of badass rock and roll.

Starting off the night were OKC locals Sign of Lies, a three-piece who got the crowd warmed up with their groovy bass lines and punchy guitar riffs.

Next up were Starbenders, hailing from Atlanta, GA. The group, consisting of vocalist Kimi Shelter, bassist Aaron Lecesne, guitarist Kriss Tokaji and drummer Qi Wei, have a distinct sound that blends grunge elements with 70s-inspired psychedelic aesthetics. They kicked off their set with the thunderous “Blood Moon” from last year’s Take Back the Night, before throwing it back to 2020’s Love Potions with “Holy Mother” and “Bitches Be Witches,” with the remainder of their brief set featuring other tracks from the two albums. Though this is their first tour since the departure of longtime drummer Emily Moon, they sounded just as awesome as they did the last time I saw them in 2022 and are worth seeing if they come to a city near you.

Following Starbenders, the next act to take the stage was Diamante, an absolute powerhouse of a singer who is currently working to bring back the 80s with a modern twist. Dressed in a tight, glittery jumpsuit with a bright red belt and gloves to match her lipstick and bold, teased blonde hair, Dia came out on stage and absolutely commanded the audience’s attention as she broke into her debut single “Bite Your Kiss.” Diamante’s music embodies all the best elements of 80s tunes, both power ballads and raunchier rockers like the aforementioned “Kiss” and the lead single from her 2018 debut album, “Coming in Hot,” without sounding dated. Her live vocals are nothing short of phenomenal, and her short set, which included singles from both Coming in Hot and 2021’s American Dream, as well as newest single “1987” and a cover of Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield” left me wanting more. My first time seeing Diamante live was at the same venue almost 6 years ago when she toured with Bad Wolves and From Ashes to New not long after the release of Coming in Hot, and I hope to be able to catch a headlining set from her soon!

Finally, just after 10 p.m., it was time for Nita to take the stage, and take the stage she did – as she and her band came out, she immediately started shredding her way through “Summer Storm” from The Call of The Void before going back to her 2018 debut Controlled Chaos with tracks like “Our Most Desperate Hour,” “Mariana Trench,” and “Alegria,” calling for the attention of everyone in the room without having to say a word.

Unlike most rock shows I’ve been to, the first half of Nita’s set was fully instrumental, letting the crowd get lost in the riffs and allowing her axe-shredding skills to shine. Since The Call of The Void does feature a plethora of guest vocalists such as David Draiman on “Dead Inside,” Alissa White-Gluz on “The Wolf You Feed,” and Lzzy Hale on “Through the Noise,” among others, Nita brought Deadlands vocalist Kasey Karlsen out to help sing and scream in place of these guests for the second half of the set. It is no easy feat to attempt to match vocal stylings of so many singers, but Karlsen does it with ease, switching from Arch Enemy-esque screams on “Wolf” to more melodic harmonies on “Through the Noise” and “Victorious,” and her addition kept the energy up while Nita and the crew continued playing their hearts out. The set closed on a few extra raucous notes as they jammed their way through a kick-ass cover of Pantera’s “Cowboys From Hell.” 

Nita Strauss is an absolute force to be reckoned with on stage, and if you have an opportunity to see her live, I recommend it wholeheartedly! Her current headlining tour wraps up on March 29 in Cedar Park, TX, then she will join Crobot in Jefferson, Louisiana on March 30. Nita can also be seen this spring at Welcome to Rockville and Sonic Temple. Tickets for all of her upcoming shows can be found here.