Live Review: Ringo Deathstarr @ Red Palace, 10/25/12

It's the Thursday night before the end of the tour, and Ringo Deathstarr's Elliott Frazier is feeling saucy. Bemusedly badgering the crowd ("Romney" chants, forced dancing, and "The Wizard of Oz") was definitely on his agenda (all in good fun, of course), and the Austinites on the whole played a set of precocious, paint-peelingly loud nouveau gaze that made yours truly's day.

The set, while part of the tour promoting latest LP Mauve, quite often ventured into older material. Not that I'm complaining, because lord knows I love just about everything these three get up to. They kicked things off with a seriously creeping, somewhat sludgy version of the molasses thick "Swirly," dating back to their self-titled EP. Instantly, they created their own space, filled with beautiful, aching noise, bathed in blue and occasionally intruded upon by Frazier's aforementioned amusing antics.

The aggressive thrall of "Waste" followed, exhibiting a totally different attitude and letting the trio really cut loose up there on stage. The hard edge that bubbles to the surface in much of Mauve is really evident in "Waste," and live it sounded mighty fine. The dreamy haze of "So High" and "Kaleidoscope" from the divine Colour Trip came back-to-back, and I felt the sweetness of a crush, despite all that wonderfully crushing noise.

The set-closing triumvirate of "Slack," "Rip," and "Tambourine Girl" was just about swoon-worthy. The 90s coating on "Slack" gave way to the honeyed hammer of "Rip," which in turn gave way to a particularly exceptionally muddy rendition of "Tambourine Girl." Good, better, best. I always want them to play forever, and am always bummed when they don't. But still, I suppose a set of ten ridiculously awesome songs is nothing to sneeze at. This band really is one of the best live bands out there, my friends. Truth.
     


[photo copyright Megan Petty]