Sebastian Mylnarski
A brighter shade of blonde
Blonde Redhead comes home to NYC’s Terminal 5
By Lisa Murphy
Published: January 23rd, 2008 | 7:54am
Jan. 19, 2008, in New York City — Blonde Redhead took the stage Saturday night at the biggest and newest NYC venue, Terminal 5. The cavernous, three-level venue was one of the “superclubs” of 1990s New York and it still feels like it, meaning the acoustics in the high-ceilinged space aren’t well suited for live performances, and the people not lucky enough to be lining one of the mezzanines probably couldn’t see anything unless they were tall. Venue issues aside, the band’s performance was no less than perfect. They seemed completely relaxed and at ease with one another without being boring or dull.
Fresh off a European tour with Interpol, they opened with "Heroine" from 2007's 23 (4AD), and Kazu Makino’s haunting voice floated amid the ethereal melodies and lingered in the airy space. The pleasure of watching the band members feed off one another was almost as amazing as the melodies they were creating. Even the faster, rougher songs still inspired a gorgeous dreaminess — it was like watching three people completely in love with what they are doing, oblivious to the 3,000 or so people tuned in to their every move while they make beautiful music for 90 minutes.
Makino's and guitarist Amedeo Pace's interactions were pure romance. The casual and unself-conscious way the two traded instruments, got lost in the music, or briefly embraced while bathed in a soft magenta wash of light couldn’t have gotten any sexier.
Openers The Raveonettes have come a long way since their debut in 2000 and they seem to have perfected the modern shoegazer sound and look, which wasn’t really annoying but not too compelling either.
Interpol guitarist-singer Paul Banks joined Blonde Redhead onstage for "23," prior to the three-song encore that included the not-often played "10" from 1998's In An Expression of the Inexpressible (Touch & Go). Although their wasn't much interaction with the audience, I left feeling a little closer to this mysterious group, if for no other reason than our shared love of gentle yet dissonant music.
Issue #35
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