Blonde Redhead returned to Aotearoa for the first time in over a decade since their performance at Laneway in 2011, bringing new music with their 10th studio album Sit Down for Dinner.
Hailed by the Guardian as one of the very best in the US, the three-piece dreamy alternative Indie Rock band brought an unforgettable sonic experience that reaffirmed their selling out of shows all over the world.
Composed of Kazu Makino (vocals, keyboard, rhythm guitar) and twin brothers Simone Pace (drums, keyboard) and Amedeo Pace (lead guitar, bass, keyboard, vocals), Blonde Redhead formed during 1993 in New York City.
The concert was held at the iconic Hollywood in Avondale, a historic venue built in 1915 to host silent flicks and 35mm screenings, that continues to operate as a cinema and live music venue today.
Mist machines enveloped the space with an eerie haze and stage lighting that cast tall shadows onto the back concrete wall whilst illuminating details of the architecture.
Opening the evening was Lucola, a Tāmaki Makaurau based soloist who describes their sound as a rich tapestry of electronic music blurring the lines between genres that integrate musical elements of Balearic, Krautrock, ambient and avant-garde.
Lucola studied composition during the early 2000s and brought an undeniable vintage remnant presence to the stage.
Dressed in a light blue 80s’ style suit with glasses and long flowing hair that blew in the breeze, Lucola leant over his instruments and moved with every rhythm.
He played on multiple instruments including a Prophet-5 analog synthesizer and Roland D-50, a synth released in 1987 that has been used by musicians including Prince, Sting and Michael Jackson.
Indie sci-fi synthwave melodies were played on the machines as the artist moved back and forth between them simultaneously.
At the end of each song, the audience clapped and Lucola would reply in gratitude a single thank you that was sonically altered, likely through a vocoder producing a mechanical old school tone.
A little further into his set, Lucola introduced lyrics with live vocals via the distinctly manipulated sound.
There was a meshed vibe of spooky and groovy, where the audience was swaying to the rhythm yet could expect the mystery machine to park up outside at any minute.
As the room filled with concert goers, the energy of the music increased with a mellow crescendo, bringing anticipation for Blonde Redheads emergence.
Thrillingly after change over the music lulled, lighted dimmed into a deep red and Blonde Redhead graced the stage.
Easing in with Amedeo on vocals and Kazu on rhythm guitar, a melodic soundscape filled the venue and had everybody on their feet either gazing in trance-like connection toward the stage or moving in some way. Swaying, foot tapping, two-stepping and at times, twirling.
At moments in the composition, I felt as if I were transported into the synthwave music scene of the late 20th Century, or that I was immersed in one of the vintage music videos I watched with my dad growing up.
The evening featured songs from their latest studio album Sit Down for Dinner, which dive into deeper themes of existence and the actuality that life changes fast.
The album title as a metaphor is more than being together at one place in time and sharing a meal, for as Kuzu puts it…Instead of eating, you could die.
Despite the deep and contemplative themes, Blonde Redhead’s new music embraces warm tones and welcoming moments. The concert became a mystical experience to share sound waves in the same space as the trio, swaying rhythmically in legato under Hollywood Avondale’s historic beams.
At the end of the night, I felt immensely content and grateful to have witnessed one of Blonde Redhead’s show in the present. I couldn’t help but collect a sticker from the merch table on my way out, whilst dreaming of the moments where I’ll be next be pressing play on some of their dreamy tunes.
Isabella Rose Young
Photography by Chris Warne
Blonde Redhead
Lucola
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