Largehearted Boy’s been keeping a list of live sets from this year’s SXSW, worth a looksee if there was anyone in Austin that piqued your interest. The kids tell me that the Rosebuds set was a very good one, though I suppose it misses something in the audio-only translation—namely, the sight of lots of twentysomethings from the crowd dancing on stage. It’s also good to see the Imperial Teen set in the list (alas, only streaming, and it sounds like an NPR session rather than an actual live show); though it’s very short, it’s also proof that the band’s working on new material, finally—late 2007, kids!
But the pleasant surprise is also the one show you knew was going to appear on the intertubes sooner or later: the Pipettes. This set of MP3s is from the outdoor set on the 17th, and what’s so surprising about it is that it sounds very good. Some explanation: a Dutch concert site, Fabchannel, also has a live show from the Pipettes up, complete with video. (By the way, Fabchannel is utterly fabulous for live shows; check out the Dears set!) Like a sucker, I listened only to the first couple of songs before I gave up—the mini-Spector production from the album was gone, which wasn’t a surprise, but it was just one symptom of an overall trend. It was like the carefully constructed facade that is the Pipettes collapsed before my very eyes: the dance moves seemed a bit cute, the voices seemed off (especially Gwenno during “Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me”), and the whole performance felt more workmanlike than charming.
That was last November; fast forward to March and suddenly it feels like a different band. Maybe, unlike the Rosebuds, the Pipettes benefit from a lack of video footage; when the cute dance moves are just in your head, you don’t ever have to think about things like tour fatigue or audience reaction or other buzz-killing issues. Even the banter sounds more natural. Sure, everyone still sounds off on “Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me”—maybe an indication that they need to work on it or strike it from the setlist—but overall it makes me slightly regret not going to the Canadian Music Week performance.
Only slightly, though. Sounded like a nightmare getting anywhere near the Rivoli that night.