LIVE: The Raveonettes @ The Black Cat - 10/6/12
From the moment The Raveonettes took the stage at the Black Cat, they owned it with, confidence and familiarity normally reserved for bands ten times their size. With strobe and spotlights surround the stage, providing a light show that was as much a part of their signature as their harmonies or fuzzy distortion, Sune Rose Wagner in his striped t-shirt and trucker cap, and Sharin Foo in boots, fitted dress, and perfect white blond bob barely acknowledged each other, but played as if they were joined at the hip.
The duo - who are originally from Copenhagen, but now claim LA and New York as homes as well - launched their set with “Hallucinations,” a medium tempo cut from Lust Lust Lust to set the tone for the evening, welcoming both friends and strangers with the band’s signature harmonies and buzzy distortion. “She Owns the Streets,” off of their latest effort Observator, featured Wagner on lead vocals and a jangly guitar that seems more prominent in the Raveonettes sound as of late, with distortion serving more to fill in the background then to be upfront and in your face.
Frustratingly, throughout the set there were sound issues with the bass that required periodic halts and ultimately resulted in Foo breaking her impervious calm facade and demanding a light for the man repairing the pedals. Despite this hiccup, The Raveonettes performed almost flawlessly and the crowd’s enthusiasm couldn’t be dampened. While tracks from earlier in their career like “Dead Sound” “Blush” and “Attack of the Ghost Riders” brought roars of approval, the crowd was equally appreciative of newer tracks, like “The Enemy” and “Young and Cold,” which fit seamlessly into the set. All in all , if you came looking for a great night of loud fuzzy pop, then that’s exactly what you got.
