• achtergronden
• DE 7EVEN
• video's
• agenda

ernaast

Sleater-Kinney: Good but not life-altering

One Beat, No Talking
16 september 2002, Tucson, AZ (US)

Tekst: Pat Wensink

Publicatiedatum: 10 oktober 2002

Hot on the trail of the release of Sleater Kinney’s latest One Beat (Kill Rock Stars), the band is touring the country.
I had no idea what to expect from these highly political women since this was the first time I’d ever seen the group live. I expected at least some sentiments of feminism or politics from the trio during the performance. The SK ladies let their message speak the way more bands should operate: They let the music do the talking. The only dialogue from the group came while drummer Janet Weiss re-tuned her drum kit and singer/guitarist Corin Tucker told a comical tale of how she met Robert Plant on the street in Austin the night before.
Every article I’ve ever read about the band describes them as punk. The only thing I can say is punk about them is the spirit of the music. Punk is too narrow of a term—these ladies just rock. Intricately weaving wiry guitar lines around one another while Weiss’ sticks were nothing more than a blur. The band’s records don’t accentuate Weiss’ lighting action behind the skins. This was truly the happiest surprise of the evening.
Tucker’s explosive warble was in full effect this night. The sound of her intense vibrato has become one of the many calling cards of Sleater-Kinney over the years. It is an aural and visual experience to see her burst out this powerful voice on command without even stressing over it; it seems almost second nature.
The band was at its peak when all members focus on separate actions to form one singular piece.both guitars bang out completely offsetting rhythms to the percussive background while all three are singing completely different lines is a jaw-dropping live experience. It conjures up the frenzy of action I felt when I first heard the group’s Hot Rock (Kill Rock Stars) record; but now it’s 20 feet from your face. It doesn’t happen on every song, but is worth the price of admission when these six beams of energy focus together.
The group concentrated mainly on work from the latest release, while peppering older material throughout. The anthemic Oh! and O2 were live pinnacles from the new album. The crowd seemed slightly disappointed that the group did not play either of its earliest “hits”: Call The Doctor or Dig Me Out. None of this deterred the fans during the performance. The band hit on all cylinders for most songs. It was a good show, but by no means was it a life-altering experience.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/live/sleater-kinney/sleater-kinney-good-but-not-life-altering/1936/
Meer Sleater-Kinney op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/sleater-kinney