We felt out of place as we scanned the crowd, noticing thirties-looking couples, sprinkled with the occasional high-school-age hipster with interesting hair, identifying himself as being into “retro” music. As we anticipated the start of the show, my friend Danielle and I awkwardly realized that we didn’t quite blend into the throng of fans showing up to support Danish duo Sune Rose Wagner and Sharon Foo, who together make up indie-pop/rock group, The Raveonettes. Formed in the early 2000’s, The Raveonettes have released six studio albums, including their latest record, entitled Observer, which was released this September.
As Danielle and I worried about the dynamic of the crowd, the lights dimmed and three slender figures sauntered onstage. Wagner and Foo, he with an untamed mane of hair and she with a severe platinum blonde bob, flanked by their drummer, took their places and began a night that can only be described as a punk-rock teenage dream.
Opening with “She Owns the Streets,” a single off the new album, The Raveonettes performed a diverse set, displaying an evolution in sound since 2003’s Whip it On. The band played music that relied more on instrumental sound to tell a story, where vocals seemed to be more supplemental than a feature, as well as music that put more of a spotlight on the lyrics, which in some songs, such as “Gone Forever,” referenced dark subject matter. The duo stayed loyal to their unusual, rock and roll vibe, mixing melodic, echoing guitar, reminiscent of riffs heard in the 80’s from bands like The Smiths, with poppy, breathy vocals. The duo paired heavy bass and pounding drum beats with dreamlike, ethereal synth sounds, creating catchy music with a razor sharp edge. Songs like “Observations” employed a stark contrast between haunting, retro guitar riffs and the modern electronic sound produced by the synth.
Throughout the set, there was a climbing mood, as though the sound was building and growing. The show never lost its steady drumbeat though — save for a performance of the quasi-ballad, “Young and Cold,” which relied solely on windy, trancelike synth, the clashing sound of raw electric guitar versus acoustic, and complimentary, harmonizing vocals.
About halfway through the show, the group completely changed gears, sampling from their 2005 album, Pretty in Black, with “Love in a Trashcan,” which draws from the psychedelic sound heard by 60’s bands like The Zombies and The Doors.
There were plenty of whiny guitar solos to go around at Sunday’s show but, to set themselves apart from every band that ever discovered the whammy bar, The Raveonettes perfected a signature move in the overall quilt of their set: creating a wall of sound that gave way to dreamy interludes. The band performed intense tracks, such as “Attack of the Ghost Riders” and “Bowels of the Beast,” which possess a sound similar to that of a garage band jam sesh. By peppering the show with songs like “The Enemy” and “Aly, Walk with Me,” which are evocative of nostalgic 90’s ballads (see “Bluest Eyes in Texas” by The Cardigans), The Raveonettes created a cohesive set that left the crowd screaming for a three song encore.
It goes without saying that the extremely talented Raveonettes know how to rock, but it should also be noted that the duo creates music that makes their fans really listen and consider the intricate design of their layered sound. By the end of Sunday night’s show, Danielle and I spilled out onto the street, ears ringing, with the rest of the fans, realizing that we really weren’t out of place in the crowd, but rather the opposite. For the 90 minutes that The Raveonettes had dominated the stage, we had become a part of the mesh made up of people moved by their music.
By: Charlotte Holley