The Dead Weather, Street Chant@ ANU Bar, Canberra(25/3/2010)

Sat 27th Mar, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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The Dead Weather has only been together for just over a year, but in that time they’ve already released one top selling album with another on the way, toured internationally, including a spot at Glastonbury, and and made a short documentary about the band. The Dead Weather is clearly a hardworking group but sure made it look effortless at ANU Bar last Thursday night.

On this leg of Australasian tour with The Dead Weather is pop-punk Kiwis Street Chant. Hailing from Auckland, Emily, Billie and Alex made use of the massive amp set-up and played a loud and energetic set. They had a natural youthful exuberance and charisma with a grungy bite, and songs like Scream Walk shone with their passion for music and sheer enthusiasm for performing. With an album in the pipeline, it’s worth keeping an ear out for these guys in the future.

ANU Bar was running to a tight schedule and it wasn’t long before The Dead Weather took to the stage. The Dead Weather is: Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs), Alison Mosshart (The Kills, Discount), Dean Fertita (Queens of The Stone Age) and Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes). They formed the band during an impromptu jam session in January of last year, and released Horehound that July, but it’s seeing them live that really makes The Dead Weather come alive. Mosshart aka Baby Ruthless’ every move and drawl down the microphone was like a rock goddess. She moved like the leopard skin she wore, prowling around the stage and looking like she was about to have her way with the floor to ceiling amps. At some points she’d just pick a member of the crowd and stare them down, unblinking and unnerving. So intimidating and commanding was her stage presence, that when she sang lyrics like ‘I’d like to grab you by the hair and sell you off to the devil’ from Hang You From The Heavens, it sent a chill down my spine.

Mosshart had the mic to herself at the start of the set, but the audience were cheering for ‘Jacky’. The cheers that greeted White when he came onstage at the start of the third song were thunderous, with one female waving what did look like underwear. With the four piece all together they just exploded, and the audience went along for the ride. The band is obviously experienced (White has been in the music industry for as long as this reviewer has been alive), and extremely versatile musicians, constantly swapping round on instruments and all taking turns on vocals. Their sound borrows a little bit from all their respective bands but has an dark edge all their own. Cut Like A Buffalo was a high point of the whole night, with the tightly packed mosh pit banging their heads and clapping in unison. They also played tracks like Hustle and Cuss and Blue Blood Blues from upcoming album Sea of Cowards, which was just announced to be officially released on 10 May.

After going offstage briefly they returned for an encore, finishing the set with Treat Me Like Your Mother. Mosshart chanting ‘You blink when you breathe and you breathe when you lie’ was an intense conclusion, and after the song all the band came together holding hands and bowing neatly before walking offstage. At one point White had cryptically exclaimed ‘Yesterday we saw a lot of black bats. Today a lot of white nerds. And tomorrow….?’. At the rate and pace they’re going, for The Dead Weather tomorrow could include just about anything and be just about anywhere!

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