The Raveonettes

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Leeds Festival 2005

Friday 26th to Sunday 28th August 2005
Bramham Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS23 6ND, England MAP
£125 for weekend (including camping) - SOLD OUT, £60 for any day

Daily capacity: 55,000

Retro 50's American Fuzzed up rock n'roll doesn't get much better than The Raveonettes. It's a sound generated by four guitarists and a drummer and it makes for one of the best live performances of the weekend. 2002's 'Whip it on' was recorded entirely in the key of B-Flat minor, which gives The Raveonettes their dirty punk sound that oozes with fashionable appeal.

Despite this being great great music it was a tad repetitive and there is only so many times you can hear the same three chords played again and again, no matter how much distortion The Raveonettes want to add. I'm happy to say that The Raveonettes have expanded their repertoire since they were last on UK shores and now have an exciting, varied and brilliant set list.

Imagine The Ventures, Eddie Cochran, Burt Weedon and The Shadows had a party, which was gatecrashed by The Ramones and you get a pretty good idea of what The Raveonettes now sound like. 'Love in a trashcan' is infectious 50's rock n roll pop at its grooviest, and sounds like Cochran's 'Summertime blues'. 'Twilight' is a dance record with a chugging techno beat and superb bass line, while the bands quieter records sound like beautiful summery pop, 'Ode to LA' being the best example of this.

'Chain Gang of Love' taken from the album of the same name is a brilliant distorted surf rock record that sounds quite a bit like The Kinks meets The Beach Boys. The crowd, who have chosen to see this band over Razorlight are older than I expected to see but were loving the nostalgic feel of the evening. The best was still yet to come though.

'Attack of the ghost riders' threatened to be the song of the set and if it wasn't for the awesome 'That Great Love Sound' it probably would have been. The vocals of Danish duo Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo are the perfect blend for this style of music. The band extended each of their songs and immersed themselves in a frenetic distorted fuzz of pounding drums and 50's guitars. One of the best live sets I've seen all year.