By: David de Young
 The Raveonettes at First Avenue - Photo by David de Young (click for full size) |
Tuesdays night's 4 band bill at First Avenue is one show for which I'm glad I arrived fashionably on time. Detroit's down to earth garage rockers Ko and the Knockouts jump started what turned out to be one of my favorite national show bills of the fall so far. (Of course, it's just the second day of autumn, but this title may last a while.) Local folks should be sorry they missed this one, especially as it was free +1 for DAMF members. That's hard to beat.
Hailing from White Stripes' hometown, bassist Ko Shih, Guitarist Mark Craven and drummer Jeff Klein of KO and the Knockouts deliver straightforward rock and roll that is to be admired first and foremost for not pretending to be anything it's not. Live, I enjoyed the way Shih wields her bass as she sings, plucking at it with an overly long rhythmic follow through on the upstrokes. Shih's playing style does serve to keep your attention front and center, but that's about the only affectation the band has. Guitarist Mark Craven joked how difficult it was to play while watching the banners on the Target center scroll by through the upstairs window at First Avenue announcing what he called, "good bands like Nickelback." Shih countered that Craven should stop looking out the window and instead look at all the great people who were in the ever growing audience toward the end of the Knockout's set.
It was Holly Golightly who I'd really come down to see tonight, figuring I'd be able to cut out afterwards and catch some local acts. Golightly's set was energetic and more enjoyable than I'd thought it would be. What I mean by that is that I'd started exploring Golightly's music to bring myself up to speed on her spot in the rock and roll spectrum which lies somewhere between the Cramps and Nancy Sinatra, but ended up thoroughly enjoying my education. I had been thinking about buying her album before the show, but by mid-set I had no choice and marched over the merch booth. If you think the cover of Golightly's new CD "Truly she is none other" looks a little White Stripish, open it up and look inside for the full page story spread by Jack White III himself, singing the praises of Miss Golightly imaginary (or are they real?) visits to his house on Sunday afternoons.
A few folks I talked to at Tuesday's show hadn't even heard of New York City's Stellastarr, who were to be the third band on the bill, but DJ Jake Rudh was not one of them, firmly already in the Stellastarr fan category. Before Stellastarr were through, I was a fan as well, hearing echoes of Pulp and Wedding Present and Duran Duran, and well, all sorts of things. Stellastar is one of my favorite accidental discoveries of this new season. And damnit, there went another 10 dollars for a CD, but more money well spent.
Tuesday's headliners Raveonettes had already kicked my ass sonically just a few months ago when I saw them at the Roskilde festival in their home country of Denmark just outside their home city of Copenhagen. The Roskilde show was so damned crowded though I couldn't get close enough to see well, if at all, which made it an audio only experience for me. Thankfully I had the chance to see them up close and in person at First Avenue, first as the band attentively stood right in front of us at the back bar and enjoyed Holly Golightly, whom apparently it was their first chance to see. The Raveonettes bassist and singer Sharin Foo really stood out in the crowd, as she was undoubtedly the blondest person in the room. And guitarist Sune Rose Wagner was also easy to spot in his satin dinner jacket and pointy black shoes. I must say, that in my worldwide ramblings Denmark, especially Copenhagen has some of the coolest fashion sense of anywhere I've been.
The Raveonettes Columbia debut album, or EP if you will, "Whip It On," was good but somewhat of an experiment, entirely "recorded in glorious B flat minor. "The new CD "Chain Gang of Love"(Columbia, September 2nd, 2003) is brightened up by being recorded in...you guessed it, B flat major! Tuesday night's show just got better and better as it progressed. The stuff from the new album was showcased prominently and goes over well. Any chance of cutting out after I got the picture were nixed.
Many people at last nights show had tried to see The Raveonettes earlier this year when they had to cancel an appearance to shoot a video. Last night they apologized for that cancellation and did their best to make up for it. Is the video they shot the one that appears on the enhanced CD. "The Great Love Sound?" That song was definitely the best known song of the night, and is a great single. The cover of Eddie Cochran's "C’mon Everybody" was pretty good too.
The Raveonettes have graciously made pretty much their entire recorded catalog available on their website in real audio and other formats. So check it out if you like. I bought the album and was not disappointed.
After three encores they finished up about 1 a.m. in a fuzzed out disaster of dropped guitars and knocked over mikestands and feedback. A great set, even if it did leave me craving a Jesus and Mary Chain fix like nobody's business. The band was on hand after the show for friendly album signings and conversation for any fans who wanted to meet them.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Holly Golightly, KO and The Knockouts, Stellastarr, The Raveonettes
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