Blonde Redhead
Blonde Redhead + Porcelain Raft live @ Ancienne Belgique, Bruxelles, 18.09.10

THE REVIEW

To be honest, there wasn't really a great desire to see Blonde Redhead. The sudden change of mind came as soon as I discovered that Mauro was chosen (by BR themselves) as the opening act for their European tour; and so the least I could do was go see him, if only to remember when (about ten years ago) he played at unlikely festivals in the province of Rome or in abandoned former factories. So in this solo project of his (in every sense: on stage he is accompanied by a keyboard, drum machine, and an electric guitar connected to delay and loop) he has set aside the classical and jazz influences of the past for half an hour of layered and dissonant electronics, with almost trance-like passages, in which, however, the song structure is not lost. I'm waiting for the studio album, the single is expected in November.

Having closed this semi-nostalgic parenthesis, let's move on to the main course of the evening. Blonde Redhead confirms that the path taken a few years ago is a path of no return: the harshness of guitars is smoothed out for a softer, but also more elaborate sound (sometimes too much, as evidenced by the production of the last two records), leading to the next step, i.e., the progressive removal of the six strings (in favor of keyboards and synthesizers).
The result is a somewhat cold but formally impeccable performance. Everything is in place, from Kazu's voice (her off-notes at the Roman concert six years ago are a distant memory...) to Simone Pace's refined but not pretentious drumming (the real standout of the group, according to the author). At least judging by the public's participation, the new songs clearly lose the comparison with those of the just recent past: the new single Here Sometimes doesn't come out too badly, but the moments to note were elsewhere: 23, Falling Man (truly the peak of the performance), a Dr Strangeluv never so groovy; and even a rather lukewarm track like SW, whose album version is sunk by a production to say the least heavy, manages to - allow me the technical term - make its damn fine figure.

In the end, I will remember it as a concert without disgrace, but above all without praise. They are still a pleasant band to listen to, but I can perfectly understand the doubts of those who, remembering how they sounded 15 years ago, find them on stage now.

For the fans, here's the evening's setlist:
Black Guitar / Here Sometimes / Spring and By Summer Fall / Dr. Strangeluv / Love or Prison / Will There Be Stars / Oslo / Falling Man / 23 / SW / Not Getting There / (We Are A Real Team) Harry & I / Penny Sparkle