Raveonettes, Control and Toronto Flashbacks
Last Wednesday night, Luci and I went to see the Raveonettes play at our local venue, Southpaw. The opening band, Gliss, was really cool and had the kind of sound you'd expect for a band opening for the Raveonettes. However, the second band - Nicole Atkins and the Sea were the exact opposite. I have no idea what they were doing on this bill. To keep it short and as polite as I can be, suffice it to say they were underwhelming, melodramatic and ultimately, boring. They totally took the wind out of the show's sails before the Raveonettes came on. Apparently they have a following and lots of people came out just to see them, but then fled Southpaw once the Raveonettes hit the stage and the legitimate sound of rock hit their tender little ears.
Someone did a little recording of the show. Here's their clip:
Last time I saw the Raveonettes, it was just Sune and Sharin with acoustic guitars and a tambourine. This time, they were plugged in and the drummer played a 2-piece kit to a click track. I sincerely hate bands playing to pre-recorded material. Once it's introduced, I begin to doubt the reality of everything I hear. To be fair, they were really singing and playing, but there were times when a bass line or a drum fill would kick in and it obviously wasn't happening live. Beyond that, they put on a great show and the crowd dug it.
On Friday, a group of us went to a sold-out screening of "Control" at Film Forum. I was really impressed. The cinematography is stunning, but expected being a photographer's film. The acting is also spot-on. I do wish the band's characters were more developed. I was also expecting to be more in the head of an introspective depressive, whereas, I saw the Ian Curtis of "Control" as a guy who was driven over the edge by marrying too early and being torn between two lovers. Despite what I wanted or hoped for, the film totally works on every level. Luci summed it up best on the walk out of the theater when she said, "I've been waiting for that since I was a teenager."
Check out the throat singing styling of Yat-Kha as they pay homage to Joy Division with their unique cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
In case you missed it, we dedicated a special noir edition of ReelerTV to Anton Corbijn and his debut masterpiece:
I've been able to see 2 out of the 3 films I really wanted to see when I was in Toronto, but didn't. Would somebody please program "My Winnepeg" so I can complete my quest?!?
