The Radio Dept @ Lunario del Auditorio Nacional, Mexico
It was pretty good news when I found that a band like The Radio Dept. was on tour, but then a rush to the head just hit me when they announced they’d be giving a show in Mexico City. Yeah! I wanted my ticket at that exact moment in my hands.
The venue couldn’t have been better: I heard and read that this venue had acoustics that would make you cry, that it’s one of the best places for a gig in Mexico (Lunario del Auditorio Nacional), that I was crazy if I said no to that gig.
After some time waiting for THE day, it came faster than expected. February the 19th: get ready, go there, and find the place all filled with… nice people; the place was overcrowded and it was all about the stampede-out. This is news for me: I thought that The Radio Dept. was barely known in this strange country.
Then, go in and wait for THE moment: three guys (Johan Duncanson, Martin Larsson, Daniel Tjäder), 2 guitars, 1 bass, one drum machine, keyboards, one laptop and no drums, I realized then that The Radio Dept. doesn’t use any real drums. There are some weird feelings about it inside me.
Then the night starts with ‘Freddie and the Trojan Horse’, great tune, great acoustics. Nice way to open a gig. No doubt.
It seems the band didn’t expect their gig would be so successful and that people could barely breathe or the fact that the notion of physical and personal space was not in the people’s subconscious anymore, as they repeatedly thanked the audience for coming to the show, that they had a “kudos-for-you” expression on their faces, or just said that they toured for three weeks in the US, but this gig in Mexico City was the best they’ve ever had in years (cue warm and excited applause).
The highlight for most of the people was when ‘David’ sounded in the air, a song from their latest album, Clinging to a Scheme, and which I didn’t have the pleasure to listen before, until that day.
As for me, that was a little too much disappointment, I really didn’t like what I heard: synths used as usual, voice as usual, everything as usual; however, people didn’t seem to mind since they were having a really good time while dancing, screaming, wooing (it’s easy to tell when Spring is near, Pavlov would be proud), stepping on their neighbors’ feet…
As things were getting a little bit hot for a 9 pm gig, then a song from their 2006 album came along, ‘I wanted you to feel the same’: a slow, blue song with synths used not as usual. I really enjoyed this one.
Their songs selection after the whole disco thing was great: the next four songs really brought up the style I love from The Radio Dept.: a dreamy, shoegazing, experimental side better explained with songs like ‘Lost and Found’, ‘The worst taste in music’, then two of my favorite songs and my highlight of the night: ‘1995’ (oh, tears and joy!), and ‘Keen of Boys’ (I love it when they make the whole place tremble and almost fall); however, this moment was ruined by a song I rather disliked, ‘Messy Enough’ actually a B-Side I’d love to keep like that (no need to play it anymore, please!).
They returned then to their latest album with ‘You Stopped Making Sense’, it is a song that could sound organic at moments, a dream I loved from this band.
Then another sounds-like-the-90s tune: mixed emotions and a ‘blond’ girl’s hair tickling my poor eyes. The song was ‘Heaven’s on Fire’. That keyboard was good, not good enough for the rest of the song, though; the next one was just a nightmare: ‘Never follow suit’. I mean, it’s not that I dislike the fact that bands look for new sounds and styles, it’s just that it’s not a fan’s duty to like everything the band does, and I disliked this song very much: a sort of reggae-ish song, usual sounds, usual synths, usual bass line, usual earache.
One hour had passed and still wanted to get ready for the next hour of the gig; I was sleepy, hungry, disappointed, and… did I say disappointed? ‘Closing Scene’, another track from their EP appeared and was a little bit good; by the end of the song the usual thing: vocalist, the first to say “thank you” and disappear, then the bassist (thank you, applause), and last but not least, the keyboardist. Just one hour of gig and they wrapped it up (I want my money back!).
They had an encore, of course, and included ‘Why won’t you talk about it’, one of my favorite tracks from ‘Lesser Matters’ and ‘The City Limit’ (‘Unsorted’), a good choice too. Eventually, these two final songs made me smile.
This gig was a sweet & sour experience, sometimes more sour than sweet. The venue was perfect, the band was perfect, the audience was… well, the audience and seriously, if these three people are a band since 1995, their repertoire must have (and has) more interesting stuff that the ones they played for this gig, and it would take more than one hour of their time to complete the whole mischief.
I truly respect this band, I just think their setlist wasn’t the best this time and the gig didn’t really lasted enough. I’m not sure if they’re even coming back to Mexico, but I’m sure they can do it better than this.
Words: Tonan.
Links
Sloucher.org 