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Concert Review: The Raveonettes
The Raveonettes began all the way back in 2001 when guitarist Sune Rose Wagner moved back to Denmark after spending several years in America trying to form a band in vain. Bruised but not beaten, Sune hooked up with female vocalist/guitarist Sharin Foo in Copenhagen and The Raveonettes were born. Nine years and four albums later, this dark, Danish, alternative rock duo gave Shanghai an extremely unique show at Mao Livehouse.
The Raveonettes like to keep it simple. This penchant for austerity can obviously be seen in percussionist Jakob Hoyer’s set up. Throwing out the classic idea of a drum set, Jakob disposed of all the pieces he didn’t need; leaving just the snare, floor tom, and crash cymbal to be performed upon. Jakob’s pounding had all of our heads rocking back and forth and created the ideal foundation for The Raveonette’s dark tsunami-esque songs.
The Raveonettes’ sound is that of a large ominous wave that engulfs all those listening before crashing with a climax. Sune’s and Sharin’s guitars prop up this wave with a strong dose of distortion and noise. Just before the songs begin to crest, you can count on Sune to play a heavily reverb-laden, melancholy melody that sounds as if it could easily fill an entire valley. While the instruments are creating this forty-foot wave of sound, the defining aspect of The Raveonettes, their vocal harmonies, seduce you into the oncoming cataclysm. While most of their songs share a common tinge of despair, the pure intensity drives The Raveonettes set forward.
Despite effortlessly creating this torrent of sound, The Raveonettes sorely lacked stage presence. Other than when Sune was playing one of his expansive solos, the two lead vocalists barely moved a muscle behind their microphones. One of the crucial reasons The Raveonettes lacked enthusiasm, especially during the beginning of the set, was undoubtedly due to the incessant feedback problems. Undoubtedly, utilizing noise and dissonance is a large part of The Raveonettes’ sound, and it soon became clear early on that the piercing feedback issues were more of the sound engineer’s doing than the band's. Problems such as this do come with the territory, however, when playing in the Wild Wild East.