« What's that Rumbling Sound? | Pissy American Life » |
Concert Mon Nov 06 2006
Where Have All the Cowbells Gone?
Recent interviews with the Rapture have stressed how chipper the band is these days. That effervescent joy was on display at the Metro last night, as the four-piece rollicked through songs from their latest, Pieces of the People We Love, and back catalog. While rarely transporting, the show was never dull and always good-natured. Luke Jenner and Matt Safer kept things fresh by trading off on lead vocals, but the pair came together at various points to choreograph the crowd's cheerleading moves. The upbeat spirit even manifest in a kiss-in: audience members were instructed to be brave and turn to plant one on their neighbor's cheek.
If this sounds a bit earnest, well, it was, and happily so. The band's 2003 record, Echoes, was overcast with a paranoia that couldn't be realistically sustained after Pitchfork picked it as the album of the year. That gloom -- and the sullenness that might easily have accompanied it on stage -- have apparently been banished for sunnier sounds and dispositions. As band members danced around the stage, that they were having a good time was clear, and there's little more infectious in a performance, especially when accompanied by tight musicianship. The crowd -- not quite capacity; just the right size for a venue that sometimes feels over-full -- was game, and, by the time breakout single "House of Jealous Lovers" showed up in the setlist, there were hands pumping the air and bodies pogoing in time. In this house, however, there was clearly no time for jealousy. Brooding, it seems, is so three years ago.
Sydney's Presets opened and delivered the perfect companion set: good time electropop. Drummer Kimberley Moyes's shirt said, "The Kids Want Techno." They got it, and with a smile.
(Additional photos here.)