Blonde Redhead

The stage glowed purple as fans awaited the arrival of Blonde Redhead Tuesday night. Atmospheric music played to set the tone and fans kept their chatter to a low rumble as the band set up.

Flickering light bulbs soon partially illuminated the stage, emitting just enough light for the silhouettes of Kazu Makino (vocals/keyboard), and twin brothers Simone (drums) and Amedeo (guitar/vocals) to appear.

Makino, wearing a strange white mask similar to that of a horse’s head, struck the first few chords of “Black Guitar” from their new album Penny Sparkle. The light bulbs faded and were replaced by blue and purple floodlights, emphasizing the dark heaviness of the song.

As the concert progressed, Makino removed her mask and the songs became more upbeat, luring fans into the band’s melodic trance. Playing a very balanced mix of songs from both old album, 23, and Penny Sparkle, released in early September of this year, Blonde Redhead allowed both old and new fans to dance along in a head bobbing daze.

Makino’s voice has a very haunting component to it, and when placed with Simone’s deep drumbeats and harmonized with Amedo’s tranquil vocal’s, a strange ambiance overtakes the room. The lyrics, hard to make out over the roar of the synth and the thudding of bass, proved to be only a slight hindrance of the show. The aesthetics of Blonde Redhead’s stage performance are what really drives their live show and truly entices fans. No one really sang throughout their performance, it was much more about being in the moment and letting the band’s profound beats and skewed vocals take you on a melodic journey.

A certain darkness permeates from the band’s slower songs while lifted major chords and fast paced vocals embodies the quicker ones. Blonde Redhead, unlike many bands I’ve seen live, was able to push through their slow songs while maintaining the same energy fashioned in the faster ones. The show lacked any “downer” moments and preserved a sexy mood throughout the entirety of the performance despite the band’s aging members.

Blonde Redhead is scheduled to finish off the U.S. part of their tour December 1 in Austin where they will then travel to Australia. With Penny Sparkle being their first new album in three years, the band is hard to catch on tour and anyone who has the opportunity to see them live should most definitely take it.