The Radio Dept. : Live

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/theradiodeptjul15.jpg" alt="The Radio Dept. : Live" />For a free festival, or anything else, you could not imagine an evening better spent than The Radio Dept. & Asobi...
The Radio Dept. : Live

The Radio Dept.

South Street Seaport (QRO venue review) is where Wall Street meets the water.  A large open area filled with ice cream shops, pizza, touristy vendors and today and every other Friday this summer hipsters in abundance.  Despite the early show time or maybe because of in the case of the many younger fans who were able to see the all ages free event the place was relatively packed to see Dream pop veterans Asobi Seksu and headliners The Radio Dept. close out the 2011 River to River Festival on Friday, July 15th. 

Asobi opened up their extended set with distorted guitars and vocal trills.  While affected guitars are expected in dream pop, Yuki Chikudate’s strong singing voice was a pleasant surprise.  Oftentimes in the genre it seems vocals are indiscernible under layers of effects that would hide a weak voice but she used hers as another instrument and sang in both Japanese and English.  Stopping mid set to wish a twelve-year-old a happy birthday and in the same breath calling everyone else who had raised their hands to answer if it were their birthday, "fucking liars," was inappropriately funny.  Every once and again the lovely Chikudate would yell at her band members and apologetically tell the crowd that boys don’t listen.  Drummer Larry Gorman (formerly of Head Automatica apparently) held down the beat and kept the set moving with intensity and kept up the interest.  Theirs was a varied set compromising songs from all albums.

The Radio Dept. is a Swedish band that tours far too infrequently and has a devoted fanbase in the states (and a personal favorite of a lot of us here at QRO – QRO spotlight on).  An outside show in the middle of summer near the water allows for many things from heat, to bad sound, to mosquitoes to go wrong.  The Seaport itself was a lovely backdrop with appropriately stately looking high sailed ships covered in the more expected moderns signs of corporate sponsorship.  The crowd was full of people from all ages and walks of life most mulling around or seated on the wooden docks waiting for the show to begin.  Having no live drummer made for a much quicker set up and un-dramatically the band took the stage.

There is some innate warmth in the delivery or The Radio Dept.’s live set.  The drum machine, which is used in place of a live drummer, added a comforting steady heart-like beat that might not even be possible with a live drummer.  From the steady sea of bobbing heads that make up the audience you that you weren’t the only one lulled into utter complacency.  "Freddie and The Trojan Horse" opened the too short set followed by "Pulling Our Weight" from Pulling Our Weight EP.  Despite the lack of the vocal effects and harmonies heavily present on The Radio Dept albums Johan’s vocals are smooth and dreamy.  A pulsating synth bass line signifies the beginning of "The Worst Taste in Music", a dark track that sets off rabid dancing in the audience and even the photo pit {in the case of QRO’s own photographer…].  In many cases having backing tracks can create nearly the same experience live as on the album, but The Radio Dept. do not take that route, extending the opening and becoming a favorite live.  "Heaven’s On Fire" was another crowd favorite with jangly guitars and synth stabs that echoed across the pier.  The set is very short without much speaking from Johan Duncanson (QRO interview) but near the end he introduced a new song.  It was a synth heavy instrumental track, faster and much darker, not like most of their catalogue.  Looking out at the crowd from time to time they ended the set.  Many were hoping that this was just a break before an encore but it was not to be.  A short but mesmerizing set in a beautiful seaside port.  For a free festival, or anything else, you could not imagine an evening better spent.

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