Review by Michael O'Donahue
Photography by Rodney Gitzel
First up, though, Austin, Texas' 16 Deluxe. Competently
modern and slightly bland, the band started out nicely with lots
of feedback and moody noise, but mined that same territory the
whole set. Never quite catching fire, their tendency towards effects-pedal
distraction -- constantly switching between their favourites -- served
only to highlight the generic framework that all that noise and
fussing was built around. Occasional moments were had and the
noise, while mostly just monotonous, was sometimes interesting.
But, after their set, I felt like I had just seen another band,
coming away with nothing new to believe in.
I like Luna a lot and was looking forward to seeing
their set, but, as I'd never seen them play live, I knew
little of what to expect. Once the roadies finished doing their
flashlights and butt-cracks routine, the band wandered on stage
and struck up their mid-tempo, neo-Velvet groove. Their music
had a relaxed, melancholy vibe that I'm sure they are capable
of wringing great things out of, but, after a few songs, I got
the distinct impression that this set was not going to go anywhere.
Play a song. Stop. Play a song. Stop.
For the first three quarters of the set, each song
came across as having the same rhythm, same beat, same length.
Near the end, there were a couple of songs which broke the mold
a little bit, but not by much, and certainly not by enough to
save what was a pretty sterile and indifferent set. The Loaded-era
Velvet Underground rhythm, tasteful lead guitars, fluid rhythm
section and Dean Wareham's understated vocal delivery were all
there, but somehow all the pieces never came together. There was
never any real resonance, nor hint of feeling, to make this gig
really matter.
I know the band has it in them, and I felt let down. Hopefully, this performance was an isolated incident and, next time Luna come to town, local fans, whose anticipation was obvious, will be treated to the band they paid to see, and not the one that showed up this time. (Also, if we're lucky, they will by then have expunged their cover of "Season of the Witch.") I'm crossing my fingers and waiting.
If I were writing a report card, it would say, "Had the ability, but chose to work below potential."
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