Concert Reviews

Sleater-Kinney

For roughly a decade now, the Portland, Oregon trio known as Sleater-Kinney has been touring and putting out records that have established it as one of the premier and pioneering female punk bands around. Having just wrapped up recording its new album The Woods, the band has started to road test the tunes in much more intimate settings than they did in their previous tours. Kicking off the first night of a two night stand at New York City’s Mercury Lounge, Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss debuted a track called "Fox," before playing the only older song the crowd would hear for a while, One Beat’s "Oxygen." Some new songs from The Woods, which is set for a May 24^th release, that were played included "Jumpers," "Rollercoaster," and "Modern Girl," the last of which featured drummer Weiss on harmonica. On this first listen to these new songs, it seems as if Carrie and Corin have decided to emphasize their guitar playing a bit more, and also to play in a lower key than they used to. We shall see in May if the 9/11 inspired and political defiance lyrics have carried over to W.’s second term. After playing "Step Aside" from One Beat, the band played a few more newbies before coming back for an encore of "Sympathy," and the highly danceable and extraordinarily upbeat "You’re No Rock N’ Roll Fun" before making their way through the crowd to unwind. Judging from people’s raucous reactions to the new material, it would seem that The Woods is going to be another success for Sleater-Kinney and, hopefully, expand their fan base a little bit more.

Let me start off by saying that New York’s own Scissor Sisters is the best live band around today in any genre of music, and I defy anybody to prove me wrong. Already superstars across the pond, the Scissors have graduated from packing small bars to selling out large concert halls in their home country, and nobody is more deserving in my opinion. Launching into "Laura," the first track off their self-titled debut, singer Jake Shears asks his mother for money, and begs for a little love from guitarist Babydaddy. The band danced and sweated through a 15-song set that left most in the room elated, excited and wanting more. The lone female in the Sisters’ band, singer Ana Matronic, took center stage for a bit before the outrageously catchy "Tits On The Radio," dedicating the gig to the former television show The Bionic Woman. The chemistry that Ms. Matronic and Shears share on stage is electric, each feeding off the others energy – somewhat like those new hybrid engines where the energy from different parts combines to make the car run. After running through a new song called "Magnifique," and b-sides "The Skins," and "Rock My Spot," it was time for "Mary," a beautifully sung ballad written by Shears about his best friend, that makes many an eye water.

As the song ended, the somber mood gave way to a sea of people jumping up and down as the opening notes of "Comfortably Numb" came over the speakers. Though this song was originally performed by Pink Floyd, the Scissors have made it their own, adding electronic parts that give it a dark and spooky tone behind Shear’s falsetto vocals, turning it into one of the most danceable songs to be released in quite some time. Up next was the other techno-dance hit of the night, the infamous "Filthy/Gorgeous," in which Jake and Ana talk about dirty dancing, drugs and all that other good stuff.

The second cover song of the performance was part of the band’s encore, the lucky song this time being "Take Me Out," by Scottish band Franz Ferdinand. Just like "Comfortably Numb," the Scissors completely made this their own song. Babydaddy, along with drummer Paddy Boom and guitarist Del Marquis slowed the song down, turning it into a tune that might be heard in hotel lounges across the country. The show ended with the band’s new single "Take Your Mama," and finally with "Music Is The Victim," a rocking dance number about some of the trials and tribulations of love. They departed with a round of bows, like the true showmen and women that they are, but unfortunately weren’t showered with any flowers.