The Sounds Host Dance Party With a Punk Edge

Posted on Sep 18th 2009 12:00PM by Dan Reilly
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Before the Sounds took the stage Thursday night at New York's Roseland Ballroom, it was evident that they wouldn't be putting on your average rock show. In addition to a performance by Cincinnati rockers Foxy Shazam, the crowd was treated to DJ sets by Disko Dali and Viking, both of whom have remixed the Sounds' 'No One Sleeps When I'm Awake.' For an audience that was ready to get down, it was a welcome substitute for the standard music played over the venue's PA system.

Still, the energy from the openers paled in comparison to what the Swedish quintet brought with its 21-song set. Opening with the title track of their new album, 'Crossing the Rubicon' and shifting into the standout track, 'Dorchester Hotel,' the Sounds ramped up the energy and rarely let it stop. Just a few songs in, the dancing got so aggressive that a minor scuffle broke out among a few fans, both male and female. While that may seem surprising, frontwoman Maja Ivarsson told Spinner "there was a fight three out of five nights" on the band's last headlining tour, and plenty of them involved women.

If they noticed the fisticuffs, Ivarsson and the band certainly didn't let it affect their performance. After a sing-along rendition of the ballad 'Night After Night' that featured only Ivarsson and multi-instrumentalist Jesper Anderberg on keyboard, the band rattled off a string of hits with 'Hurt You,' the song featured in a Geico Caveman ad, getting a big response.

Ivarsson certainly did her part to keep the crowd's energy up. As 'Beatbox' started, she yelled "I hope you motherf---ers brought your dancing shoes" and then later, during 'Living in America,' she got the women in the audience to sing by saying "Where are my bitches?" After a brief Pink Floyd-like synth intro to the encore, she turned up her already-obvious sex appeal on 'Tony the Beat,' grinding against guitarist Felix Rodriguez in a way that would make many men faint. She even got physical with the audience, diving from the stage and singing 'Song With a Mission' as fans passed her around (politely, we hope).

The band capped the evening with a revved-up rendition of 'Hope You're Happy Now,' as if to say "You're welcome" for delivering such an intense show. Though they didn't say "thank you" out loud, the exhausted smiles on the fans' faces certainly conveyed that gratitude.

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