RAVEONETTES @ Les Saints

By Omar Goodness - Hooked On Sonics - 03/22/2008

The last time I saw the Raveonettes was when they were touring behind their sophomore full length, Pretty in Black, with LA noisepop trio Autolux.  While I’ll admit I went primarily for Autolux (who are probably, and pretty much a well known fact around these CJLO halls, my favourite band currently), having the Raveonettes on the bill was an added bonus, as I was a fan of their Jesus and Mary Chain knock off songs.  It was pretty much a dream show for anybody who likes their pop songs covered in white noise, fuzz, feedback, and the occasional droney rhythms, and the Raves were spot-on that night - bubbly, buoyant and loud.

Since then, some things have changed for the Danish duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo.  The last time they were here, they had a full backing band (drummer, bassist and guitarist) which provided some loud and dense versions of their recorded output.  This time, as they premiered on their stint at SXSW earlier, they’ve decided to strip things down to just Wagner and Foo on guitar, and a stand-up drummer (snare, floor tom/bass drum, and one cymbal only), giving another nod to the early setup of the Jesus and Mary Chain.  While they did employ the use of sequencers for added fuzz and bass sounds (I think Foo only picked up the bass on one song), it didn’t sound too phony, and it also didn’t seem like they were relying too much on sequencers or laptops (*ahem* Jesu.)  While I’m not a big fan of live sequencers, they actually pulled it off nicely, and Wagner and Foo managed to coax enough searing shards of white noise from their stockpile of pedals that pretty much proved that as a 3-piece they’re just as noisy as they were as a 5-piece.

New songs from their latest, and best album, Lust Lust Lust were enthusiastically received, especially “Dead Sound” and current single “I Want the Candy”, while older songs like “Great Love Sound” and especially “Attack of the Ghost Riders” got a fervent (fist pumping…I kid you not) response from the crowd.

Not necessarily the most energetic (already having cancelled one date in Detroit and apparently appearing extremely exhausted at the Toronto show the night before), the band seemed to be still shaking off some of the mental and physical cobwebs brought on from playing a ridiculous amount of shows at this year’s SXSW festival in Ausin, Tx.  That being said, they did have enough energy in their system to put on a solid show, and were probably feeding off of the excited Saturday night crowd.  As well, the subdued atmosphere of black clothing and soft red lights seemed to help with providing a more laid-back feeling to the show, rather than making the trio look tired. 

Leaving the crowd happy, they ended their set with a great take on Stereolab’s “French Disko” and then finally with a searing rendition of Lust Lust Lust’s opener, and one of my fave songs of the year so far, “Aly Walk With Me”, complete with two extended white noise freakouts that you could feel deep in your ear canal.  That was some next-level brain tickling, I tell ya (hehehe, I remember playing this song for CJLO Program Director Brian Joseph and having him cover his ears…not a big fan of the white noise freakouts, that man…).

As for the venue, I’ve never seen a show at Les Saints, and had just been told it’s usually too big for the shows booked there.  Luckily for the Raves, the show was pretty well attended, and the hall, which basically looks like an oversized basement, surprisingly had pretty good sound.  Asides from an exit-line that pretty much bottlenecks near the coat-check area (*cough* fire hazard *cough*), it’s not a bad venue for shows.

Anyhow, end result?  Not a bad show at all.  Nothing too special, but a pleasant performance nonetheless…and I at least got my white noise fix for the week, giving me some cloudy hearing post-show for a few minutes…yeeeah, totally worth it.

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