23 April 2011

[review] the raveonettes

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The Republic was thick with sound from wall to wall last week. The Raveonettes, the Danish duo that burst onto the music scene in 2003 with their first album Chain Gang of Love, returned to rock New Orleans hard and roll it home.

I stepped outside before the show to have a smoke and kill some time. As I stood on the sidewalk, a taxi pulled up to the corner—an event to which, naturally, I paid little attention. I nearly dropped my cigarette when I saw Sharin Foo (bass, guitar, vocals) exit the cab and strut past the bouncer into the venue.

Just in time for sound check. These guys are pure fucking rock and roll.



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Their distinct sound consists of a mixture of 50’s and 60’s rock and diverse instrumentation, as well as vocal harmonies that range from melancholy to ominous. The group finds its influences in groups such as the Velvet Underground and Jesus and the Mary Chain, and have in turn influenced acts such as Best Coast, Vivian Girls, and Dum Dum Girls.

In short, their style is something like a surf-rock noir genre—if I may take the liberty to coin such a phrase. Rest assured, these Danes really get you dancing.

Having accumulated nothing short of a cult following throughout the span of their career, it should go without saying that the energy in the crowd was phenomenal. They kicked off their set with “Recharge and Revolt,” the title track from their new album.

They made a point to play their earlier material as well as a polite nod to those in the crowd that have waited years to see them. I was especially excited when they played “Love In a Trashcan,” an aggressive track rife with sexual innuendo. If you listen hard enough, you can hear Martin Rev (of the 70’s electro-punk duo, Suicide) hypnotically hammering away on an old drum machine.

The duo switched back and forth between the guitar and bass, while two drummers added rhythm with electric kits. Every now and then they would hand over their instruments for one of the drummers to take over, freeing up their hands to add a little dramatic emphasis to their vocal performance. A system of thin, sleek lights flooded the stage and draped silhouettes over their instruments.

At the end of their show, the crowd goaded them back on stage for an encore performance. They left us dazzled with the song “Lust” from their 2007 album. Wistfully singing “I fell out of heaven, to be with you in hell,” they drew their set to a close.



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- Article by Euan Patrick Wallace
- Photographs by Joshua Brasted



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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Was there a mosh pit?

Anonymous said...

and that was lovely and all but wasn't there an act that played other than them, called Tamaryn, yes, they are great, I love them. more of them please, and less of this.