The concert was on a dreary Sunday. I got into the Royale early, and could smell the collective ambience of the fanbase demographic. Rather than marijuana, cigarettes, and beer, the room was filled with the combined scents of Red Bull and vape pens. It might be a placebo effect, but that sweet scent of caffeine and partying may have given me a contact high. The warm-up music had a very powerful bass. Remembering how loud the Beaches' concert at the Royale was, I remembered to bring my Loop earplugs in order to enjoy the music while lessening the detrimental effects of the amps.
Making this more of a learning experience, I was hearing their opening for the first time. I may be dating myself more by not knowing who Jesse Jo Stark is, or that the comparatives I think of are from the 90's and earlier. Stark comes onstage in a provocatively revealing costume, and props to her for being that bold. All of the risqué clothing is armored up under a heavy leather jacket for the first half of the set. The juxtaposition of that sartorial decision reminds me of how a young Debbie Harry would combine clothing that was more flowy and femme with more assertive punk staples like leather jackets and sunglasses. My knee-jerk comparison would first be to Debbie and her bandmates in Blondie. There's a melancholy bounce that reminds me of No Doubt's "Return of Saturn" album, with guitar playing that takes me back to Kevin Cadogan's contributions to the first two Third Eye Blind albums. The set being completed with a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire". When the overall energy of Jesse Jo Stark's live set is so much about the collaboration with her band, I'm hoping that the other musicians will also get due recognition as Stark's career continues to rise (days after the show, I saw Coveteur video where Jesse's showing off some of her tour outfits). The whole live band did such a great job, that it could be like how Elton John's band remained the same for 50 years. I think it would be great if she at least becomes closely associated with one accompanist . The teamwork was so successful for David Bowie and Gail Ann Dorsey while Billy Idol and Steve Stevens continue to make great music together.
Now, I make the awkward pivot back to the night's headlining act. I assure you that any awkwardness is only due to the Veronicas' versatility and growth through their past six albums. With albums varying so much. Even between the past two albums, a concert drawing from many of the Veronicas albums wouldn't have a seamless transition from a musician just finding her identity in the music industry. Jessica and Lisa Origliasso debuted into the 2005 pop punk scene around the same time as Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Bo, Ashley Simpson, Paramore, and Lindsay Lohan's fictional band from Freaky Friday. Of this wave, I consider Lohan's "Ultimate" underappreciated, and wonder why it doesn't stream on the same radio stations as Avril's "Girlfriend" or Hillary Duff's "What Dreams are Made Of". The Veronicas brought synchronized harmony that reminded me of t.A.T.u. or some songs of ABBA's. The twins increasingly started contributing their own abilities in playing pianos guitars and synthesizers. That helped develop what made the Veronicas' music stand out. Jessica and Lisa stylistically began to depart from the rock scene into "electropop".
When the Veronicas took the stage, I immersing myself in the Veronicas' music for the first time. "Take Me On the Floor" exhilarates the crowd. Like when first seeing Aly & AJ live, I was likely one of the people least familiar with the group's song catalog, but I was quickly catching up on the lyrics and the vibe of the space. Little homages to the White Stripes, Nirvana, and Icona Pop was both an opportunity to honor the audience's general music tastes as well along with those of the Origliasso sisters. Granted that they had an instrumentalist backing them up, it was all the more impressive for me, when they'd play instruments during their songs. It's that added layer, and a new dynamic for the performance. When they're playing their guitars or harmonizing from behind their keyboards, the symmetry dials up the performance energy. The set introduced me to songs like "4ever" which I had missed when it came out but now listen to on Pandora. It also included the song "Jungle" from their new album "Gothic Summer". Jungle (one of the last tracks of the album) diverts stylistically from the general electropop genre and and lyrics telling firsthand stories about toxic relationships, escapism, and break-ups. With "Jungle". the sisters sing about treachery in a world while drawing metaphors to dangerous animals. The duo had told journalist Kyle Meredith that the B-52's were one of the influences for this album. "Jungle" was the most direct example of this, but what became prominent to me was a specific surf rock rhythm. The B-52's have stated that surf rock is partially an inspiration for their sound. When listening to "Jungle", I started hearing what I could specifically recognize as "Pipeline" by the Ventures. There are differences, but the association is similar to Bruno Mars' early hits were being compared to music by the Police.
Toward the end of the show, I was so impressed by the Veronicas that I wanted to see what the tour march looked like. Especially with lesser known artists, I find that graphic tee's can be an important form of marketing. That, and the shirts serve as signifiers to other fans that you may see out in public. The Veronicas tour was offering a bundle deal involving a tee, a CD, a tote, and some guitar picks created to fit with the Veronicas brand identity. With my earplugs still in, and the music still playing, I communicated with the saleswoman through a combination of pointing out items and spelling the Tee-shirt size initial on the palm of my hand.
I'm starting work on the next post. Stay tuned.
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