Raveonettes Debut New Songs at Lollapalooza

Posted on Aug 10th 2009 2:30PM by Kim Davis
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For those of us who managed to grab a front row spot at the Raveonettes' set during day three of Lollapalooza, we were treated not only to the shade from the giant stage but also frequent bottled-water showers from security guards armed with a seemingly endless supply. The oppressive heat and sun also affected the Danish duo, messing up their put-together look.

Three songs after they sauntered onstage, crisp white shirts became transparent, Sharin Foo's smoky eye make-up was melting and her stylish, blunt bob was in disarray. "We definitely prefer darker clubs," Sune Rose Wagner told Spinner during a recent sit-down at Brooklyn's Siren Festival. Now we believe them. Which isn't to say that the performance suffered. "This is our first time at Lollapalooza," Wagner noted shyly while Foo looked out into the massive crowd, amused as her perfectly-coiffed husband and baby looked on from stage left. "We are very happy. It's fun!" These moments of sweetness are as perfect a contrast to their sharp, dark songs as the black-and-white aesthetic on which they never waiver.

But it was at the band's Lolla afterparty the night before where the pair really shined. Tucked away on the corner stage at Chicago's Empty Bottle club, they seemed at home. The darkness was only interrupted by flickers of blue and pink lights, which, when they caught Foo, made her look like something Andy Warhol would covet. They ripped through selections from their three full-lengths, including a particularly upbeat rendition of 'Love in a Trash Can' and the hypnotic track from their last album, 'Lust.' But the highlight arrived when they performed two tracks from their forthcoming album, 'In and Out of Control' for the first time live. The first single, 'Suicide,' is indicative of the kind of sunny arrangement-meets-sinister-lyrics Wagner told Spinner about in Brooklyn. And the never-before-heard 'Last Dance,' is perhaps the most accessible song from them to date. With its bouncy, catchy chorus, it was no surprise that it inspired dancing at both sets that weekend.