Seraphina Lotkhamnga on September 25th, 2014

0

In July, the Raveonettes surprised fans with the release of a new album “Pe’ahi,” which arrived with purposeful lack of promotion. But the lack of a big marketing campaign didn’t stop enthusiastic fans from filling up the El Rey Theatre on Wednesday night for their return to the U.S.. If there’s one thing to learn from the Danish rock duo’s shows, it’s that every release is just as good as the last album, if not better. Word traveled fast that their seventh studio album is the fuzziest of ear candy yet, and boisterous fans were there to let the Raveonettes know they are always welcomed back.

• ||| Photos by Michelle Shiers

“Thank you,” Sune Rose Wagner said stoically after opening tune “Endless Sleeper.” “We’re happy to be playing Los Angeles again … with old and new songs.”

With that, they dove into the shoegaze rager “Sister,” another track from the new
album. With its drastic jumps between harp and heavy percussion underneath the heavy reverb, it was another track that demonstrated the duo’s ability to balance the unlikely. The Raveonettes are known for their beautiful raucousness, but longtime fans also know that their music is always accompanied by strong and meticulous melody. An amalgamation of My Bloody Valentine, Phil Spector and the Beach Boys, Wagner and Sharin Foo never fall short of the essence of their name (derived from the word “rave” and suffix “onettes,” a reference to the Ronettes).

Wagner, Foo and their live drummer went on to play an electrifying set with new songs “Kill!” cleverly following “Killer in the Streets.” Although “Pe’ahi” is a dark album inspired by Wagner’s near drowning, his father’s sudden death in addition to infidelity, the songs were delivered with shocking current – in case you couldn’t tell from the intense strobe lighting used throughout their set. Unsafe for the epileptic, the light show featured mostly bursts of blinding white flashes with only a few colors slipped in. But by the time they dipped into their vast catalog for “Hallucinations” and “Dead Sound,” tracks from 2008’s “Lust Lust Lust,” Wagner and Foo transformed into silhouettes as the stage abruptly became draped in dark blue or red hues.

The Raveonettes forged ahead with older songs, as promised. “Break Up Girls!” (2009’s “In and Out of Control”), “Observations” (2013’s “Observations”), “Uncertain Times,” “Love in the Trashcan” (2005’s “Pretty In Black”) “Chain Gang of Love” (2003) and more elevated fuzz mania for the night. However it was “Attack of the Ghost Riders” that truly got the crowd revved up. The tune from their debut EP “Whip It On” rang loud and clear as ever. “It goes something like this,” Wagner and Foo would sing in harmony before shredding on the guitar and bass, and when the shredding occurred, the crowd went wild.

As the light show still flickered, it was obvious that there would be an encore and that it would include their most beloved hit “Aly, Walk With Me.” However, the Raveonettes also included “Summer Ends” (appropriate for the second day into autumn) and “When Night Is Almost Done” (a song where Wagner and Foo handed their drummer the bass so they could just sing together) that made way for a loud, static, melodic ending to the night.

The U.K.’s Coves preceded the night with their own reverb-drenched jams. The duo missed the first few dates of the U.S. leg of the tour due to visa issues, but they arrived just in time for their L.A. debut.