I arrived at Saturday night's sold out show at Webster Hall not long after doors, and was warned that the headlining band wouldn't be on until 9:00. Early as it was, by 6:30 a phalanx of teenagers already cluttered the floor around the stage, talking excitedly and snapping pictures of each other.
First opener Jon Moses was met with the unfortunate reception of an unknown act playing to a wholly uninterested crowd. Armed with two guitars ("Old Faithful" and "Old Blue") and a harmonica, he strummed and hummed his way through a handful of simple, sincere songs. If you listened closely, beneath the folky twang of one tune were sly lyrics where Jon expressed his wish to be your tube of lipstick, your pantyhose, and your underwear, hinting, perhaps, at a sense of humor not otherwise apparent in his rather unassuming manner.
Cut Off Your Hands could not have been more different. Lead singer Nick Johnston thrashed around the stage clasping his mic in a death grip while overhead the lights flashed in frenetic, strobelike patterns. A few times he tensed as if to throw himself into the crowd, but mercifully the histrionics were limited to the noise from on stage and a mic stand that got thrown around a bit.
The floor filled in during the wait for Ra Ra Riot to begin, and the end of each song piped in over the PA was met with anticipatory applause, only to die away when no band members appeared and the next song began. Finally, though, the lights dimmed for real and the crowd went wild.
Ra Ra Riot have been touring nearly incessantly since the release of their debut LP, The Rhumb Line, in 2008, and they were live staples even before that. Recently they've opened for acts like Andrew Bird and Death Cab for Cutie, and it's clear that these guys are on the cusp of being huge. Lead singer Wes Miles expressed his honor and gratitude at selling out their biggest space yet as headliners this very night, but watching the band play and the audience respond, the reasons for their success aren't a mystery. The songs are tight, well constructed and tuneful, anthemic enough to inspire upraised fists and with enough groove to dance to. ('Too Too Too Fast,' with its driving synths and boy/girl vocal interplay, is impossible to stand still during.) The whole band is in near constant motion onstage, and the crowd responds in kind, singing along to all of the words of the well known, clearly much listened to songs, and making the floor shake alarmingly with their jumping.
Of particular interest are the lush strings present in almost every song, played by the equally lovely and fascinating Rebecca Zeller and Alexandra Lawn. Positioned at opposite ends of the stage, these ladies provide the anchors, visually and musically, to a busy and vibrant scene. Rebecca spins and bops along to graceful bows of her violin like a music box ballerina, and Alexandra's passionate dance with her cello is breathtakingly sensual.
Ra Ra Riot will next be in the area for All Points West in August, and I highly recommend checking them out there. Review and photos by Amanda, more photos available here.
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