The Raveonettes: Live at The Oval Space

  
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether you have just witnessed a disappointing performance or a great one…

One one hand, last night The Raveonettes played a set consisting solely of songs from their first four (and most successful) albums including “My Tornado” and “Beat City” from their debut release plus a couple of real deep cuts (“Attack of the Ghost Riders” and “Railroad Tracks”).

On the other hand, all of this appeared forced upon them, with the headline set lasting just 45 minutes and no songs from the last few albums receiving an airing. 

  
“We’ve had an insane amount of technical problems” explained Sune Rose Wagner upon appearing onstage, somewhat apologetically. 

As a duo, both of whom sing and play effects-laden guitar, it seemed their electronic equipment had taken the night off. It’s the 2016 equivalent of your bass and keyboard player getting caught in traffic and not showing up for the gig. 

They aren’t the first band to have experienced equipment malfunctions of course. Who can forget Simon Le Bon’s voice malfunctioning at Live Aid? Or Janet Jackson’s wardrobe at the Super Bowl?

  
In case they have passed you by, here’s what you should know about The Raveonettes:

• Danish two piece band featuring Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo who share vocals, with Wagner playing guitar and Foo playing both guitar and bass.
• First rose to prominence in 2003 by conjuring the ghost of The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Velvet Underground: a Psychocandy version of The Shirelles if the latter had been raised on film noir and dark Scandinavian fiction. 
• Since debut release “Whip It On” won Album of the year at the 2003 Danish Music Awards they have released seven further albums, with most recent album Pe’ahi released in 2014.
• They are currently releasing a new song every month on their website until the end of 2016…
• Oh, and “Seductress of Bums” from third release Pretty in Black remains the most unintentionally hilarious title of any song, ever, if you are British that is. 

  
Wagner and Foo took to the stage without their drummer for the first three songs, but retained their effects pedals for semi-stripped back versions of “Somewhere in Texas” “Railroad Tracks” and “Love Can Destroy Everything”. 

  
As the drummer appeared for “Chain Gang of Love” things warmed up nicely. “That Great Love Sound” remains a joyful thrash whilst “Beat City” from debut LP Whip It On, is a mix of surf-rock and noise and closed the set proper, with “Aly, Walk With Me” a low key encore. 

  
It was hard to know what to make of the ten song performance, blighted and brief as it was. What we saw was good, and hopefully next time they’ll be back to full strength, with a fully functioning set of electronics to back them up…
Set list: 

• Somewhere in Texas
• Railroad Tracks
• Love Can Destroy
• Chain Gang of Love
• Love in a Trashcan
• Attack of the Ghost Riders
• My Tornado
• That Great Love Sound
• Beat City
• Aly Walk With Me