Although it was the "coldness" of Ladytron's kraut-inspired analog drenched music that first attracted me to them, I have remained a huge fan of the band as their music has continued evolved. With each album Ladytron's sound has warmed and morphed into a perfect combination of electronic synth and pop, and having heard a few tracks off the soon-to-be-released Velocifero, I knew this album was going to be no exception. It had been a couple of years since I had last seen Ladytron live, so I was very much looking forward to this show.
Walking into The Fillmore about halfway into Datrarock's set, I couldn't help but notice that the band had the entire sold out crowd hanging on to every lyric they sang and every move they made. Hailing form Bergen, Norway, Datarock can only be described as the mutated love baby of Devo and Richard Simmons. Although their music was very simple, it was totally brought to life with their way beyond ridiculous stage antics, not to mention that they were also all wearing matching red track suits. From leading they crowd into some drunken exercise moves to a bizzaro lip-synced production of "Time Of My Life" (yes, the song from Dirty Dancing), Datarock put on a very entertaining and crowd engaging show. Everyone in the band was full of energy, and were constantly switching instruments and trying to get a reaction from the crowd. I didn't catching many song titles, but I do remember "Computer Camp Love." Definitely go check these guys out when they come to your city.
Opening the show with "Black Cat" and "Runaway," Velocifero, Ladytron sounded pretty damn amazing, and with the addition of a live drummer and bass player, their music has taken on an entirely new dimension. As they switched off on vocal duties throughout night, both Helen and Mira gave every song a very rich and lush vibe, and combined with the coldness of the Korg's behind their vocals, they created the perfect balance between electronic and pop. And although I have always dug both of their unique voices, I was pretty stoked to hear more vocals form the lovely Mira than I have during past Ladytron shows, and when she and the band busted out with "True Mathematics,"—sung in a very monotone Bulgarian—I was pretty much mesmerized.
As for the other half of Ladytron, both Daniel Hunt and Rueben Wu created the backbone of sound that wrapped around the vocals, with Wu's fuzz guitar tone being a nice addition.Together with Helen and Mira, the four of them created a sound full of layers, and really brought older songs such as "Blue Jeans," "Seventeen," and "Playgirl" and "Discotraxx" to life with their synths. Brand new songs including "Ghosts," "Deep Blue" and "Kletva" were also stellar, and showed the sold-out crowd that the new material is just as good if not better than anything Ladytron has ever done. While the sea of flood and L.E.D. lights went off behind them, the band continued to churn out song after song, and by the time they ended their set with "Last On Standing" and "Destroy Everything You Touch" (which I consider to be the perfect Ladytron song) they had pretty much blown me away…..again.
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