Dragonette
It’s a freezing night. Better to be at a nice warm gig than
to wander the streets.
Fortunately, I’m in here, locked in the tender embrace of
the ‘Popjustice Christmas Piss Up”. Popjustice celebrate the jollier end of the
musical spectrum and DJ Bright Light Bright Light is playing a solid selection
of chart hits. I bop around a bit to Girls Aloud ‘Biology’.
First on is Little Nicki, a veritable SuperBall of energy
who bounces around the stage singing, rapping and performing complex dance
manoeuvres with a loose-limbed male dancer.
She is clad in a tight top emblazoned with Batman logos. It’s a good
look.
Music is provided by a DJ in a booth behind the cavorting
Nicki and he occasionally contributes with a “What Up? “ or “Yeah!” as the
situation demands. The tunes are catchy, the beats infectious and Nicki
talented and easy on the eye. An excellent start to the evening.
A*M*E* is a comparatively subdued performer, but a gutsy
one. She stands alone on the stage and belts out half a dozen upbeat pop
numbers, including new single ‘Play the Game Boy’. She goes down well with the
crowd (and me) but there is a tiny whiff of anger within her and it’s possible
that she rather resents the rush to get her set over so that the main act can
begin.
It’s more than five years since I last saw Dragonette. For
many years they were based in London but they eventually decamped back to their
native Canada.
Currently a three piece, Dragonette are a formidable pop
machine fronted by the powerful pipes of Martina Sorbara. The band is delighted
to be here and this joy radiates from them like a beam of light throughout the
rest of the evening.
It’s straight into the hits, a triple whammy of ‘I Get
Around’, ‘Riot’ and ‘Live In This City’. It’s gloriously uplifting
hands-in-the-air stuff and the crowd is dancing and jumping so hard that they
are practically levitating.
The band have made a huge impact around the world in the
last few years by providing Martin Solveig with the vocals and sample for the
global chart smash ‘Hello’. When Dragonette play this track and segue it into
their own tune ‘Let It Go’ the room practically combusts with happiness.
Keeping things seasonal, the band deliver their Christmas
track ‘Happy Xmas (Says Your Text Message)’ before asking for audience
collusion as they shoot part of the video for forthcoming single ‘Run Run Run’.
This involves Martina singing the song backwards (no mean feat) and performing
with her back to us. The crowd play their part well and go suitably bonkers
behind her.
It’s been a terrific night. Merry Christmas to one and all
and remember…there ain’t no justice like Popjustice!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment