The Raveonettes + Black Acid - Paradise Rock Club (Boston, MA; Mar. 24, 2008)

Bonnie and Clyde of the indie scene, Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo of the Danish rock duo The Raveonettes are turning heads again on their extensive North American tour promoting their most recent album, Lust Lust Lust. Their fourth album is just the latest checkmark on their long list of achievements. Not only have they been able to create their own distinct sound in the indie scene, but they’ve also reinvented that sound from album to album. Curious to discover how the two of them would create such a full sound live, I was more than pleased with their brilliant performance Monday night at the Paradise Rock Club.

The opening band, Black Acid, was a bit tough to get through. The house turned on the lights near the end of their set, so I have reason to believe that they went a little bit over their time, which wouldn’t have been bad if they had not been so drab. Barely moving, expressionless, and seemingly bored, I would have been less surprised to see the five band members in the audience instead of on stage. It’s very hard to get into a band’s music when they don’t seem to be into it themselves. They had the demeanor of a lounge act playing the hits in some forgotten corner of Las Vegas on a Sunday night instead of an opening act for the hip, happening Raveonettes. Their influences seem to be grunge and early, bluesy rock, and their appearance was as if The Strokes decided to dress in denim, flannel, and don scruffy beards. However, I found the grunge influence questionable as I watched the singer, dressed in his crisp new designer denim outfit, use his patent leather shoes to leaf through his laminated lyric sheets on the stage floor. Needless to say it was a relief when they gave up the stage to the Raveonettes.

Sune took a very hands-on approach while setting up the stage, tuning up the band’s arsenal of Fender Jazzmasters. The start of the set was indicated by the appearance of Sharin, as beautiful as ever in a sparkling black ensemble, who was warmly welcomed onto the stage with the applause of the packed Boston club. They opened with “Hallucinations” and “Dead Sound,” two songs off their new static-filled surf-rock Lust Lust Lust. Sune and Sharin easily project their natural charisma on stage. They have the aura of a couple of rock stars: Sune with his toothpick physique and Sharin with her sexy thighs and Edie Sedgwick eyes.

As engaging as they are on their albums, the Raveonettes are absolutely entrancing live. They change the whole atmosphere around the crowd. Their music is like a soundtrack to some forgotten film noir which takes place on a cold but cozy beach during a solar eclipse. Sune dances with his guitar like a new wave artist in the mid-80’s while Sharin achieves Courtney Love-style distortion with the grace of a supermodel. The hippest kids in the crowd can’t resist the urge to dance to their 50’s style surfer solos and duets.

I remain surprised by how full their sound was, especially after catching up on some of the coverage of their earlier tours when it was just the two of them. This tour finds the duo both donning guitars, their sound filled out by a backup drummer who also assists in setting up the auxiliary drum and bass tracks for each song. Their earlier live sound used to be much more stripped-down and natural, Sune taking his time with guitar solos and Sharin hanging out behind the drum kit from time to time. The drum and bass tracks, however, allow the band to create an exceptional ambiance, combining the twin reverb of their guitars to make you forget the dimensions of the room you’re in. Both methods have their benefits, of course. Personally, I’ve always been wary of the reliance on pre-recorded material during a live show, but the Raveonettes definitely sold me on theirs. The backup drummer counted off the beat and as soon as the guitars came in, I was too wrapped up in the vibe to care about any preconceived notions of indie etiquette pertaining to drum tracks. Sune and Sharin don’t rely too heavily on the pre-recorded music, either, and their hearts still ring through, which I feel is what matters in the end.

That being said, I would have no qualms if they ever decided to tour with a full band. In fact, I feel it would be a sight to behold. Sharin joked that they now had a “band” with them, gesturing to the single drummer. Their current tour-drummer, a short-haired girl with the same calm, European cool as the duo, added just the right touch to liven up the automated track. She wore a dull t-shirt, perhaps being careful not to upstage Sharin, but the quiet musician did not have to do much to garner her own shouts of affection from the Boston crowd.

The Raveonettes played a decent mix of songs from all four of their albums, as well as an even mix of their darker and lighter songs. From murky, slower songs like “Lust,” “With My Eyes Closed,” “Bowels of the Beast,” and “Love Can Destroy Everything,” to older singles like “Attack of the Ghostriders” and “That Great Love Sound,” to the ever-popular surfer dance tracks like “Let’s Rave On” and “You Want the Candy.” They even did a cover of the Stereolab’s “French Disco.”

All things considered, my favorite part of the night was how humble they were. They’ve both traveled the world before the band even formed and their albums are getting rave reviews on all fronts, yet they expressed the most sincere gratitude at all times of the set and maintained an innate sense of classiness. They visited Boston in the middle of an extensive, exhausting tour, yet they didn’t once complain about their arms being tired. All in all, it was a great show, and it was wonderful to have a taste of surf and sun a few weeks before warm weather officially arrives here in Boston.

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