Arriving in Los Angeles for a second consecutive show, at the second (and in my opinion a far more sumptuous) venue; Blonde Redhead graced the stage of the El Rey Theatre. As anticipated, their whispered vocals and sultry sounds were front & center on this, a second tour in support of their latest album "Penny Sparkle." This visit the band delivered a more sparse visual presentation, while the sound was as captivating as ever.
With fog drifting about their feet, Vocalist Kazu Makino, along with the brothers Amedeo & Simone Pace (vocals/guitars & drums respectively), enthralled the audience from the start of "Black Guitar," to the last note of the spell-binging encore. Focusing predominantly on the most recent album "Penny Sparkle," they also touched on "23" and "Misery Is A Butterfly," making it a treat for their audience members of multiple eras.
On this night, Blonde Redhead turned the El Rey theatre into Chillwave/Downtempo/Nouveau-Trip-Hop haven as they osculated vocal duties back and fourth between Kazu & Amendo. Drifting fog and lights cutting through the air, were a perfect companion for their mesmerizing sounds. High-points of the evening included the sonically feverish "Spring And By Summer Fall" as well as the clockwork lullaby sounds of "In Particular."
Coming to the close of the night, the encore started with the brightly manic sounds of "Equus," and wrapping with the dreamy whispered "My Plants Are Dead." By the end of the set, the audience was speechless, other than the resounding sounds of yearning for the band to keep playing. Hopefully Blonde Redhead will make it back to town sooner than later... (Or, there's always catching them in Europe this summer...)
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Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com
SetList
1. Black Guitar
2. Here Sometimes
3. Dr Strangelove
4. Spring And By Summer Fall
5. Everything Is Wrong
6. Not Getting There
7. Will There Be Stars
8. Spain
9. Suimasen
10. 23
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11. Falling Man
12. Equus
13. My Plants Are Dead
Upcoming 2011 Tour Dates
Mon, 7/18 – Chicago, IL – Millennium Park
Tues, 7/19 – Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
Europe & Israel Summer
Sat, 8/6 – Katowice, Poland – OFF Festival
Sun, 8/7 – Prague, Czech Republic – Lucerna Music Bar
Mon, 8/8 – Munich, Germany – 59:01:00
Tues, 8/9 – Frankfurt, Germany – Brotfabrik
Thurs, 8/11 – Cannes, France – Le Pantiero Festival
Sat, 8/13 – St. Malo, France – La Route de Rock
Tues, 8/16 – Madrid, Spain – Serrano 41
Thurs, 8/18 – Paredes de Coura, Portugal – Paredes de Coura
Fri, 8/19 – Lausanne, Switzerland – For Noise Festival
Sat, 8/20 – Kiewit Hasselt, Belgium – Pukkelpop
Mon, 8/22 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli
Tues, 8/23 – Bremen, Germany – Lagerhaus
Weds, 8/24 – Berlin, Germany – Lido
Thurs, 8/25 – Koln, Germany – Luxor
Sat, 8/27 – Paris, France – Rock en Seine
Sun, 8/28 – Luxembourg, Belgium – Atelier
Mon, 8/29 – Dortmund, Germany – FZW
Thurs, 9/1 – Tel Aviv, Israel – [To Be Announced]
Sat, 9/3 – Stradbally Hall, Co Laos, Ireland – Electric Picnic
Mon, 9/5 – Manchester, UK – Academy
Tues, 9/6 – London, UK – Union Chapel
Thurs, 9/8 – Milan, Italy – Carroponte
Fri, 9/9 – Florence, Italy – Viper Theatre
Sat, 9/10 – Modena, Italy – Festa dell’Unita
Sun, 9/11 – Rome, Italy – Piper Club
Having waited a long time to see LOW; it was a treat to have the stars align this time around, to see them at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. The crowd filling the venue for Low's poignant, slow-core performance was an eclectic mix: hipsters to goths, rockers to old-peeps, all the way to those apparently melting into the wall-paper...
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