I promised a review of the Ladytron show I went to, but I can only provide a partial one. The evening did not go very well. It got off to a rough start early on because of a low-speed car chase that happened right in front of me in Hollywood (see the details here: http://cbs2.com/local/Chase.Crash.Suspect.2.737325.html) and caused delays all evening. I was late getting home because of it, and late getting back out, and missed the first band, Modwheelmood, entirely, which is a big bummer. I also did not realize I had missed them until Ladytron came on, because I thought they played second, not in the opening slot. I was stoked because I found a decent parking space on Sunset, but I was missing MWM all the while I was walking up to the Music Box. Datarock was the second band, and I did see all of their set, I sat down just in time for it. I had heard of them but wasn't really familiar with anything beyond their name. They're a four-piece from Norway, and while not really a classic for the ages, they were really funny. They all wear matching red tracksuits and dark wraparound shades, and when I first saw them in a magazine a while back, I remember that I thought, ok, what is THIS all about? The look kind of turned me off at first, but then I realized they were European, and it became ok, which I can't really explain, except that it works better for slightly geeky but sweet Scandinavians than it would for middle American smart-asses, which is what I thought they were at first glance. (The tracksuits also remind me of a time when I was working at an office in lower Manhattan that fronted onto Chase Plaza, just above Wall Street, and I came down the escalator to the ground floor to be confronted with the sight of the Beastie Boys dressed in tracksuits made of fun fur in primary colors, hopping around under a giant outdoor metal sculpture and being filmed for a video.) Datarock spent most of their set jumping up and down and did a coordinated Oompaloompa-like dance at one point that was hysterical. Their opening song was an ode to Molly Ringwald and the crowd was happy with interactive numbers they knew well, including I Used to Dance with My Daddy and Fa Fa Fa.
Ladytron came on after a protracted period of downtime - it must have taken a lot to set up their synth bank. Unfortunately, the stress of the earlier cop drama I witnessed and the resulting difficult time I had getting home, all as the coda to a busy week, had taken a toll on me: by the time the headline act came on, I was exhausted and had a bad headache and a worse attitude. The earsplitting volume and epilepsy-inducing strobe lighting effects didn't help. I lasted three songs before I felt so physically sick that I had to bail. I went home and got in bed and slept for thirteen hours. I'm not sure if it was just that I was overstimulated and overtired or if I just don't like this particular band live, but I felt a real aversion and had to get out of there. So, sorry, y'all. If I get a chance to see the band under better circumstances, I will, and will write a more comprehensive review. I like seeing shows, and I like writing about them. I've been doing this for so long that I write the review in my head while I am watching the band, whether I've got an assignment or not. This was just a bad night, and I used up all my good cheer on Datarock.
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