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Photos by Ada Tseng.
Darkness Falls on Sunset Junction
A rock-out set from Blonde Redhead proves that melancholy rock doesn’t always have to get you down.
Known for their dark cinematic instrumentals and delicate vocals, Blonde Redhead isn't exactly the kind of live act that inspires heavy moshing. With their slender figures and worn eyes, the New York-based trio looks more likely to provoke a good cry or a sullen sway at best. But looks can be deceiving, as the post rockers proved with a lively set of melancholy melodies and art rock at this year's Sunset Junction Festival.
Since 1979, Sunset Junction has drawn some of the biggest names in indie music to Los Angeles's Sunset Boulevard: Rilo Kiley, Metric, and Black Rebel Motorcycle are a few. With a career now spanning fourteen years, Blonde Redhead's Pace twins -- Simone (drums) and Amadeo (guitar/vocals) -- and front woman Kazu Makino (vocals/guitar) seemed to generate a good buzz from the large crowd of hipsters that flooded the Bates stage just before the show.
Against a backdrop of majestic palm trees and a dusk summer sky, Blonde Redhead bounded into their set -- no introduction necessary -- with the bittersweet "Dr. Strangeluv," a subtly suspenseful track from their latest project, 23 released April 2007. Kazu perfectly carried the song with her eerie, thin soprano vocals.
While the band is known for this kind of ambient rock, the trio swiftly roused the crowd with the driving rhythms of "Spring and By Summer Fall" and "23," also from 23. Unlike previous acts on the bill, whose sound warbled under technical difficulties, Blonde Redhead smoothly delivered each track with a studio-ready clarity and captivated the crowd with a sexy stage act to match.
Showing little regard for the audience, a stoic Amadeo jerked from side to side while Kazu unabashedly swayed like some kind of spastic seductress, clutching her mic stand ever so tightly. Towards the end of "23," Kazu decided to get really comfortable and coolly removed her bra from underneath her dangerously short dotted mini dress. With her head down, hair swishing back and forth across her closed eyes, Kazu appeared entirely absorbed with the melodies of her songs and her bandmates playing alongside her.
In the most epic moment of the night, Kazu blasted through distorted guitar solos on the percussion heavy, "Melody of Certain Three" (Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, 2000), as she and Amadeo thrusted and swayed towards each other with Simone, banging away on the drums. Amadeo eventually threw himself on his knees, like some gesture of devotion to the rock gods -- or perhaps to the rock goddess hammering notes before him. If anyone in that crowd thought Karen O had anything on Kazu Makino, I'll bet Kazu's lusty, screech of a protest, "Allow me to show you, the way which I adore you," during "Equus" (Misery is A Butterfly, 2005) made them think twice. Kazu even channeled Bjork's ghostly sister as she howled under the moonlight during the set finale.
The audience was entranced. They fled the scene like some religious exodus before headliner Ben Harper even made it to the stage, making it seem like Blonde Redhead was the closing act for most. Perhaps, anything less intense would have seemed like a letdown.
Date Posted: 9/7/2007