Brightest Young Things

All words by Gareth Moore
All photos by Shauna Alexander

How fitting to spend Halloween devouring the moody sounds of Blonde Redhead and Pantha Du Prince. They know how to be spooky and sinister. Unfortunately both artists were facing some tough competition. On my way to the show I witnessed a spontaneous 3-minute dance party inside the Gallery-Place Chinatown metro station. The event was hysterical; seeing the serial killer Jigsaw do the robot to the sounds of Lady Gaga was more twisted than anything in my imagination (and that’s saying something). The brief affair raised the bar for the night: Pantha and Redhead had to top the metro dance party.

As I approached 9:30 club I could already see clouds of fog pouring out of the venue. It was clear that Pantha Du Prince was on. Thankfully I was only two minutes late. Walking into the club and gazing through the fog I saw light shades of pink, green, and blue. Pantha stood alone on the stage, with what seemed to be a minimal amount of equipment, weaving his musical tapestry. I have thoroughly enjoyed his most recent album, Black Noise, and his show at U St. Music Hall over the summer, but this night brought me closer into his world. Although I am not proficient enough with the various strands of electronic music to tell you why, or if, Pantha is special or how he makes his music, but I can say that his music elicits a special response from me (and he earned my eternal respect after sampling Pink Frost by the Chills for his song Circle Glider).

Somehow his music manages to evolve to meet your mood. It has the ability to rev you up for Saturday night, or calm you down on Sunday morning. Yet at its most energetic it never becomes overbearing, and at its most serene it never erodes into white noise. The way he straddles different emotional states is intriguing. His sounds can immediately inspire my mind to flash on words like Nature, Tribal, and Jungle, but then just as quickly think of their opposites, such as Metal, Modern, and Clubs. Pantha creates an elusive yet alluring world that inspires dancing and contemplation. Although I was still in pain from the heavy dance party the night before, I could not help but lightly groove along with him. To inspire dancing through strong pain is impressive. Although his set was brief he left me wanting more. That is a rare feat for an opening act.

While I had known the existence of Blonde Redhead for years, and possibly heard some of their work through friends, I had never explored them on my own. I also knew hardly anything about them or their history, so I stood before them with complete objectivity. The first thing I noticed about their show was their impressive set design. I gazed upon a wall of those silver umbrellas photographers use to reflect light (I have no idea what is the proper term for that equipment) and various light-bulbs mounted all over the stage. Occasionally these items would blast light upon us. Inside the light-bulbs were rays of light dancing around, struggling to break free. This was a unique set to me and I give them credit for that.

Opening song Black Guitar, from their new album Penny Sparkle, was delicate and mysterious. The song had a lightness that would give way to the dark under-current. In that song, as with all of them, I rarely ever understood what Kazu Makino was singing, but since when has that mattered? I still never know what Mark E. Smith or Elizabeth Frazer is singing but I still love them. Kazu sounds and moves like a spectre drifting through the ether. Her distant singing style blends nicely with the music.

Eventually they began to turn the volume up and let their guitars howl. Spring And By Summer Fall was refreshing simply as an escape from the gentleness of the past songs. They definitely know how the flex their muscles when they want to. Kazu, along with brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace, can shred and pound their instruments with energy and skill. This was one of the patterns of the show; throughout the night we would go from floating in space to sonic dissonance. Sadly, whatever intrigue they concocted always proved to be ephemeral.

I love it when bands present a layer of intrigue, build upon it, eventually creating a rich atmosphere that tightly envelopes you (perfect examples are The Stagnant Pool by Felt and the stellar Swans show last September). Perhaps that is what the faithful fans believe Blonde Redhead achieve. They never managed that trick with me. There were moments of potential, maybe a gentle synth riff or tender guitar plucking, but they never grew into anything. As I write this I can’t recall how any of their songs go. It may have worked if they had sharp melodies to counteract the overly-pleasant surface, but they just don’t have the proper tunes. The band created pretty layers of sound that failed to rise into something special. It was all foreplay, no orgasm.

Ultimately Pantha Du Prince managed to perform a set that was as entertaining, albeit in completely different ways, as the metro dance party. Blonde Redhead kept their pretty poise, but never inspired any emotion inside me.

Previously in Live DC:

• 5/22: LiveDC: Spirit Animal @ Red Palace
• 5/22: LiveDC: Astra Via @ Black Cat
• 5/22: LiveDC: Father John Misty @ Rock & Roll Hotel
• 5/22: LiveDC: Drive-By Truckers and Lucinda Williams @ Merriweather
• 5/22: Photos: Summer Camp takes the "Ladies of Town" Drag Show
• 5/22: LiveDC: Penguin Prison & Class Actress @ RNR Hotel
• 5/21: LiveDC: James Morrison @ 930 Club
• 5/21: Photos: Que Sera L'Anniversaire @ Napoleon
• 5/21: LiveDC: La Sera/ Beach Week @ Red Palace
• 5/21: LiveDC: The Black Keys & Arctic Monkeys @ Merriweather Post Pavilion