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Blonde Redhead live

I'd always liked Blonde Redhead because their earlier work reminded me of Chicks on Speed mixed with Sonic Youth mixed with the Pixies. I'm glad I got a chance to see them live though, because there are a lot of nuances in their music I hadn't really appreciated from listening to them on CD. Tivoli in Utrecht was a cozy little space with good acoustics, so I think I was lucky enough to see the band at their best.

What I hadn't picked up from listening to them before was this almost operatic, desperate, manic, apocalyptic, hopeless, frenetic, beautiful feeling their live music evokes.

I hadn't known what the band looks like, and that was a trip too. I don't know what I was expecting, but Kazu, the lead singer, is a drop dead gorgeous Japanese girl, while Amadeo and Simone, on backup vocals/guitar and drums are identical twins from Italy. They're an eclectic mix which is reflected in the exquisite schizophrenia of the music.

They're on the 4AD label too. I hadn't known that either until seeing the live act made me research it, and it makes sense given that their frazzled, manic songs evoke the Pixies and their slower, dirge-ish songs evoke This Mortal Coil. The music of Blonde Redhead tells you "the whole world is crashing, but we're going to enjoy the ride down."

These days, God knows, you can't ask for much more than that.

BR bio on 4AD

Big thanks to Bram and Jeanette for letting me crash at your place (and play Halo all night on your X-box)

Posted by case at August 25, 2004 11:14 PM