RAVE ON: The Raveonettes Take Lincoln Hall
By Michele Lenni in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 8, 2011 4:30PM
As the lights slowly sank into the walls and a haunting mass of fog rose gently from the stage at Lincoln Hall we began to feel like we were in the middle of some '80s horror B-movie than awaiting a band to take the stage. When the Danish rock duo The Raveonettes shuffled onto the stage amidst a wash of pink and yellow light and two glowing amps with the words "rave on" scribed on them in big bold letters, we knew we were in for more than just a raucous sound, this would be more of a total experience.
With two drummers, one of which also did some sequencing, and band member mainstays Sune Rose Wagner on guitar and the stunningly beautiful Sharin Foo on bass, it was an extremely loud and show to say the least. For what the duo lacked in dynamics, they made up for in sheer showmanship. Though The Raveonettes really aren't known for songs that have them bounding across the stage like a rubber ball, their stark demeanor and solid execution of their dark and ominous melodies really sets them apart from many other bands that seemed to have disappeared over the course of the past decade. Between the blissed out, droning wall of sound and the psychedelic light show we felt more like we were in Warhol's Factory than a rock club in Lincoln Park.
We were extremely surprised that the group didn't play more than a couple of tunes off their newly released album Raven in the Grave. Instead these Danes chose to bring out the hits from their more well known previous efforts like Love in a Trashcan and our personal favorite, Dead Sound. Let's face it, The Raveonettes are never going to be known as pioneers in their field, but their glowing nostalgia without gimmickry and respect for their obvious influences like The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Velvet Underground (yes, Foo has an astonishing resemblance to VU's one-time front woman Nico) are what truly makes them unique.