::: PCKTRCMS:K > CONCERT REVIEW



NOISETTES / LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY

:: June 6 :: Knitting Factory, TriBeCa, NYC

Last night brought the raucous sounds of the UK trio, Noisettes to TriBeCa's Knitting Factory. A capacity crowd was on hand to view the threesome and it was a night worthy of attendance.The space itself was intimate and almost claustrophobic, you could reach your arm up and grab at each member.

Given how loud and driving their tunes are, their sound definitely could fill a space a few times larger, so I was impressed by how good the sound system was within.

Their set list was primarily a run-through of the tracks on their debut -- opening with "Don't Give Up" and delivering that ethos throughout their hour-long set. As a band their sound was in top shape. It wasn't like other artists concerts where the energy of the record is distorted by lackluster instrumentation and off-key singing -- like their vocals were enhanced a million times over in the studio. Thankfully, I'm glad to report that when you see the Noisettes live, what you hear on wax is what you hear on stage... and then some.



Lead singer Shingai Shoniwa is quite the frontwoman. Commandeering the set was not a problem as she writhed her Freddie Mercury-attired body across the stage. Energetically kneeling her bare feet upon Jamie Morrison's drum kit as he banged, hiding behind Dan and bouncing about the stage as she playfully belted out each number.

One of the best moments came with "Iwe," in which Shingai and guitarist/vocalist Dan Smith expressively captured the subtleties of the song's words and punched their way through it like a featherweight throwing jabs. I liked how the tune's guitars exploded between each verse and how the audience lost it with each blow.

The sprightly, varied crowd was into it hardcore, myself included, and the band echoed back the same amount of energy. A really cool moment for me came when they performed one of my personal favorites "Mind The Gap." During the section of the song where the guitars fade and Shingai's voice stands alone, she heard me singing along and looked down at me in amazement, like, "Whoa! You know that line!" Their disc has long been a repeat-spin earner for quite some time, so that reaction was pretty nice.



By the end of the show, in what was already a strong set, the encore turned out to be the most kinetic part of all. After the acoustic sing-and-clap-a-long of "Beg, Steal, Borrow" a mini-mosh pit sparked during "Nothing To Dread" -- and if you were standing still, you weren't for long, as arms and bodies banged against anyone who didn't get the message. It was a great way to end the show and as newcomers they, so, did not disappoint.

For the rest of their concert dates: Check their official myspace.
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[Edited 6/26/07 12:38pm]

Very cool! I almost went to this show, but decided instead to see The Long Blondes and Nicole Atkins at Luna Lounge last night instead.

sextonseven said:

Thanks! I think you would've dug their set. It was really nice, it felt healthy. lolI really like "Iwe" even more after hearing it live -- just thinking about how people were going off to that tune in a live setting. The show was sold out so I was trying my darndest outside the venue to get tickets beforehand.

This is a back to back to back concert week for me. I'm going to the Nelly Furtado concert tonight. Just found out Kenna's the opening act, so I'm about to rush off to that in a few.

Mara said:

The pics look great. When I saw the video for "Scratch Your Name" on MTV a few weeks ago and saw Shingai playing guitar, I regretted my decision a little.

I have four shows this week myself: The Horrors, The Pipettes, The Long Blondes (twice). If I could have found someone to go see Nelly with me, that would have made five.

sextonseven said:

jeez, i couldn't maintain a schedule like that when I was a teenager. now that I'm bordering on middle-aged, a week like that would probably leave me hospitalized.

That's not a standard week for you, I'm assuming...

damosuzuki said:

Oh god, no. This was an atypical week definitely. I average around 40 shows a year.

nevermind.
[Edited 6/7/07 18:38pm]

Great post!! I saw them and bloc Party last weekend and was gonna do a review, but yours is stelar(plus you have pics )

But yeah, they are fucking fierce! Looks like we basically got the same set that you did. THe crowd was with them the whole time. It was like seeing Grace JOnes fronting a punk band in 1979. No shit. Their set was so tight, that Bloc Party(who were headlining) had to bring it. They did, of course, but Noisettes left them no room for error. After every song I kept hearing "oh shit" or "Oh my God" from the audience because Shingai is the fucking truth. All in all, this was one of the best shows that I've ever seen in terms of crowd energy musicianship, tunes, hell ..the show was still kicking my ass the next day.

oh yeah, did I mention that Bloc Party killed it too?
[Edited 6/8/07 5:56am]

sextonseven said:

W-H-O-A.

sextonseven said:

You've got a nice line up there.

The Nelly gig last night was NICE. I'm gonna get a thread together about that soon. Now heading to the Kavinsky show tonight in Bklyn. So this week it's been a rock show, a pop show and now an electro show.

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[Edited 6/8/07 8:04am]

unkemptpueblo said:

That's HYPE right there. I was wilding out by people moshing in the crowd. It was really cool.

I know what you mean about still feeling the effects of the gig well after it's over. I've been repeating the album all day and the songs were in my head even when I had my headphones off.

Have you seen this clip of "Iwe" on youtube? I really like this take on it. Takes me back to the show :: http://www.youtube.com/wa...djXb15sDuw

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[Edited 6/8/07 8:06am]

Mara said:

..scratch your name into the fabric of this world before you go... I know what you mean. That clip is very cool. If they ever come this way again Im there.

Mara said:

I have to ask: what were you doing outside the venue the night of the show without a ticket? I thought for sure you'd be on top of that as soon as the show was announced!

unkemptpueblo said:

I hope The Noisettes play again here as well. I passed them up to see Nicole Atkins and while her performance was very nice, it sounds like The Noisettes show kicked her ass.

sextonseven said:

man, there was nothin nice about this shit. It was full-on ass kickery

There's only 3 members in the band, but I swear they sounded like about 8 mofo's. You're in NY, so Im sure you'll get another shot

"Sister Rosetta".....

I love their album. It's amazing. They played close to me recently, can't believe I didn't go. I suck.

unkemptpueblo said:

I was freakin out to the album on the subway all weekend.

sextonseven said:

I knew about the show long in advance, but -- I know this sounds silly -- I thought it wasn't going to sell out. I thought only me, you and a handful of folks knew. And I was WRONG. Tickets were snapped up a few weeks before and that place was packed.

And I have a thing with not paying middlemen surchargers, like Ticketmaster, Ticketweb and the like. I prefer to avoid it if I can.

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[Edited 6/11/07 8:59am]

calldapplwondery83 said:

You should do all you can to check them out before the year is out. They're on fire with this current debut setlist they have nailed.

Mara said:

They used it in the Sopranos episode last night. If Noisettes blow up in terms of popularity, they def. deserve it.

Hey guys,

I just heard that "Scratch Your Name" was played on the series finale of The Sopranos last night.

unkemptpueblo said:

We both posted this at the same time. You're on TOP OF IT. lolll

Mara said:

great minds.....

Mara said:

I buy all my Knitting Factory tickets at the Knitting Factory. There are no surcharges when I do that. Likewise I buy all my Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge tickets at the Mercury Lounge to avoid surcharges. I only go through Ticketweb when I know I can't make it to the venue to buy tix anytime soon.

Listening to it right now... "Count of Monte Cristo" playing. What a great tune.

I LOVE THIS BAND

sextonseven said:

That's definitely the way to go. Giving middlemen money is just wasteful, imo. I try to give as much directly to the artist first and then the venue. I have all-kind-of methodology to determine who gets what monies -- concerts, CD purchases, you name it. lol

Well, now. Like someone said on YouTube, when you hear such wonderfully original stuff like this, it spoils you for anything else. Thanks for introducing me to this band. Incredible. I love her voice. They kind of remind me of a three-person version of Man Man.

Yeah, this is some awesome stuff. Definitely Rock n' Soul!