Live
< Ra Ra Riot at Dublin Castle
words by Charlotte Rumsey
pics by
From the moment that Ra Ra Riot take to the stage, after a particularly dismal support act, it is obvious that they are a band that have not so much chosen substance over style, but have never even considered it possible to do otherwise. One pair of skinny jeans in a band of six members, and not a pair of high top trainers in sight, suggest that Ra Ra Riot could be that rare thing amidst the current flood of arrogant, styled, one-minute-wonders cropping up on both sides of the pond - a band who actually consider music a higher priority than image. As a unit they seem not to show the slightest awareness of tonight's small Dublin Castle crowd as they play their first two songs with a relentless energy that doesn’t fade throughout their 45 minute set. Completely absorbed within themselves, the New York six piece appear less interested in putting on a show for their audience as they do each other. Clamouring for space on the venue’s tiny stage, and on the verge of spilling into the crowd, they succeed in creating a miniature and well-organised riot, watched by their passively bemused but appreciative audience.
It's cellist Alexandra Lawn and violinist Rebecca Zeller, however, that transform songs that could too easily have been standard, if not dull, into something a lot more interesting. Their classical strings take the band into Arcade Fire and Animal Collective territory and away from the guitar and keyboard heavy sound that has been heard all too often in the past few years.
Yet underneath the originality is a formula that becomes too familiar too quickly. The songs themselves become a little repetitive and by the end of the set they are indistinguishable from each other. The overall effect is only saved from becoming tedious by the band’s incessant enthusiasm and air of innocence. Besides, no matter how much or how little the crowd are enjoying the performance, the close knit and absorbed Ra Ra Riot make it clear that whether they were playing to thirty people at the Dublin Castle or a lamp post in a deserted car park, their performance is ultimately for their own enjoyment.
Originally appeared in volume 1, issue 25 of Loud & Quiet magazine
