All Photos by @mojojo.jojojo
Despite being very familiar with Blonde Redhead, I only come across their opening act, White Flowers, recently and ever since I can’t stop wondering how more people aren’t aware of them! Their single "Are you" has been on my on repeat for weeks and I was eager to see more of what this band has to offer. Their performance definitely didn’t disappoint, with their ethereal sound perfectly complimenting the music of Blonde Redhead. Following some post-gig research, I discovered the pair are from Manchester themselves and began making music upon their return to Manchester from London. I read that for them, White flowers' music reflects the bleakness of the north. Whilst their performance isn’t one I would describe as bleak, there is definitely a dreamy yet dark undertone to their sound which perfectly encapsulates the gritty, yet homely feeling of the north. An overall impressive performance and I can’t recommend White Flowers enough!
Blonde Redhead kicked off their performance with "Falling Man", a track from their 2004 hit album Misery is a Butterfly, featuring Amedeo Pace on vocals. From the very get go, it was evident that even after two decades and ten studio albums, the band has retained every ounce of their unique talent. True to the original, the song started slowly, lulling the crowd in with a low reverb and then broke into the hypnotic guitar melody which built gradually, kicking their set off to a great start. To create a sound complete with guitar, keyboard and drums that fuse together in such a whimsical fashion requires not only years (21 to be exact) of practice but also a deep understanding with your fellow band members. This is exactly what fascinates me about Blonde Redhead’s history; how the sound so perfectly mirrors the relations between the members. Even if you weren’t aware that lead vocalist/guitarist Amedeo Pace and drummer Simone Pace are brothers, the resemblance between them is so striking that it would be hard not to suspect a family connection. Despite very little on stage interaction other than a few nods to signal the beginning of a song, their synchronisation was very impressive. Perhaps a lifetime of sibling companionship is the key to creating such surreal music!
The three continued to perform standout songs from Misery is a Butterfly, including "Melody" and a personal favourite, "Elephant Woman". Kazu Makino’s vocals which featured on both songs are unreal. Her vocal range is a thing of itself, and her stage presence fits the bands enchanting sound so perfectly I found myself entranced. Her vocals have a distinct expressive quality which reminded me strongly of the styles of Bjork and Elizabeth Fraser and her movement on stage was equally as expressive. Though Kazu and Amedeo’s vocals differ in sound, they compliment each other perfectly, allowing the songs to flow seamlessly into each other despite switching lead vocals. After discovering these two were romantically involved for the first decade of the bands time (including when Misery is a butterfly was being recorded) this made complete sense.
A switch onto the 2023 album Sit Down for Dinner saw both Kazu and Amedeo’s vocals combine on "Snowman" which introduced a more upbeat sound while maintaining a dreamy quality. The vocals radiate a summers day and despite being unfamiliar with this song prior to the gig, it’s become a new favourite. A remarkable thing about Blonde Redhead is despite their long-lasting time as a band, with two previous members contribution to several albums, their sound maintains a unique beauty both in recent releases and in live performances. Falling somewhere in between indie rock and dream pop, I could really hear the rich cultural influence of Amadeo and Simone’s Italian heritage and Makino’s Japanese heritage on their sound. The melodic combination of guitar and keyboard music also showcases their study of Jazz in New York, where they first met Kazu.
The bands stage presence was slightly mysterious, with little interaction with the crowd, except one moment where Kazu asked the brothers to stop playing and laughed that she had lost her focus. In her words, ‘her mind was somewhere over there’ and she had struggled to find her groove again when she’d lost the beat. I personally love to see artists be this open during performances, it adds an intimacy to the night and reminds us that our favourite bands are just humans as well. Not only this, but I feel an appreciation that Kazu cared about the quality of the sound. Two decades later Blonde Redhead evidently haven’t lost their passion.
They quickly found their flow and continued to play hits from Sit Down for Dinner, finishing with "Rest of Her Life". Kazus vocals on this track were astounding. Despite singing so softly there is such a haunting quality to her voice that leaves the crowd wanting more… and they did want more. Everyone stayed put after the three thanked and departed the stage and their calls for an encore were met with another three songs. The encore opened with "I thought you should know" and closed with "Kiss Her Kiss Her". I thought you should know has also quickly become a new favourite. Both Kazu and Amedeo’s vocals were passionate throughout, but Amedeo’s were particularly powerful on this tune, setting the encore of to a great start.
My only criticism would be the absence of their most popular song "Girl Boy" from the setlist. However, every song they performed seemed to flow together so perfectly I trust that the band knew exactly how to compile an such audience pleasing setlist. This night has definitely gone up there with my favourite live performance of all time… not solely due to the incredible performance of Blonde Redhead, but also the talent of White Flowers.
As always guys, we will see you at the front!
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