Extreme Listening Mode!

Regular correspondent Vespertine, checks out Sterolab in Glasgow’s West End

Stereolab / The Week That Was

Oran Mor, Tuesday 16th December 2008.

Stereolab

Firstly may I take some time out to praise a support band? Yes, the
much maligned support band, so often tolerated as background noise to
accompany beer. The Week That Was emerged from the split of Field
Music and their album has been receiving some rave reviews. The live
set was stripped down and perhaps more percussive than the album but
it was very well played, was inventive and well received. Check them
out if you have time.

Stereolab haven’t visited Glasgow for several years and that gig sadly
was at The Arches where bizarre drinking regulations meet terrible
sound. What to expect? Well latest album ‘Chemical Chords’ fills one
of Stereolab’s two default album settings: ‘mostly all pop with some
experimentation’ or ‘mostly experimentation with some pop’ and
thankfully in these worrying global times it is in the former
category. We need warm, lush, funky and tuneful. It is still
quintessentially Stereolab: Brazilian Tropicalia, Czech pop-art, The
Klangers, Marxism, Joe Meek and 60s French ‘yeh yeh’ all meet up and
have a fight with a Moog. You know what you’re getting.

The crowd is larger than I expected and talks less (Glasgow’s curse
lifted for one night) and lap up the performance which seems somehow
warmer than usual. Laetitia Sadier looks fantastic; maybe divorce from
Tim Gane and 5 years living in France has helped!! She is animated,
smiles a lot, dances badly and even talks to the audience. The band
remains excellent and a special shout out to the tighter than tight
rhythm section of Andy Ramsay and Simon Johns. Andy has drummed with
Stereolab for 15 years, and has ‘enjoyed some cakes’ of late shall we
say! Lots of meat behind the drum stool. They play most of the new
album, plus some old favourites such as the highly topical ‘Ping Pong’
with its strident views on capitalism’s ‘boom and bust’ ethos and the
problems it causes when related to real life and not economic theory.
A huge and playful ‘Le Boob Oscillator’ is lapped up and they end the
main set with ‘French Disko’ which remains an awesome statement of
intent, even after all these years.

Stereolab make friendly and warm music despite most people having a
vague awareness of them being sonically dense, and atonal. I would
certainly recommend you check out ‘Chemical Chords’ and Sadier’s
latest album as Monade which is darker but beautiful in its own way.

Stereolab – Ping Pong