The Raveonettes are one of those bands I’ve been listening to on and off since high school — I was always kind of into them, but never jazzed enough to sing their praises on the Internet. Cut to their concert Sunday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. I take it all back, Raveonettes. Why didn’t I realize how awesome you were before?
The Black Angels got things off to a trippy start with their heavily distorted psychedelic tunes. And they were LOUD — I’m pretty sure the opening chords of ‘Science Killer’ actually rattled the buttons on my jacket. But by the time their set was over, I was ready for something a little less bone-shaking, and the Raveonettes immediately delivered. Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo’s twist on ’60s girl groups crossed with the Velvet Underground is a thrill to hear in person. Their rhythms are even tighter and more precise, and their improv skills really get the chance to shine. The encore ‘Aly, Walk With Me’ had so much shreddin’ you could have easily mistaken the band for one of their Scandinavian metal cousins.
For new track ‘Break Up Girls,’ Wagner and Foo started off with a quiet a cappella duet that eventually launched into a full-fledged rock jam that had even the stodgiest concertgoers dancing and bobbing their heads. About midway through the show, Wagner and Foo each sang a solo while the other band members hid offstage. After Foo’s gorgeous rendition of ‘I Buried You Today,’ at least a few people standing near me were ready to propose to the model-beautiful Nico lookalike. During the closer ‘Last Dance,’ I felt like I had stepped into a time machine back to the 60s, but in a good way — more Blow Up than Austin Powers.
The Raveonettes also dug into their catalog for older songs like ‘Love in a Trashcan’ (but sadly never took one vocal audience member’s request for ‘Lust’). Wagner and Foo were extremely polite, repeatedly thanking the crowd for coming out to see them — always a nice bonus for us audience members who shelled out our hard-earned bucks for tickets. As Foo put it at one point, it was a great way to spend a Sunday night.
photo courtesy lostateminor.com
