Review and photos – Dragonette at Venue, Vancouver, Oct 17 2009
- review by Tom McSorely/photos by Jessica Bardosh
As the rain fell last night, a rambunctious crowd at Venue succumb to a coy mix of electro-pop and seduction. The Martina Sorbara-fronted Dragonette brought a powerful performance filled with throbbing beats, stunning vocals and an underlying sexual presence embodied by the front woman herself.
Bouncing out on stage in a pants-and-suspenders creation that tiptoed androgyny with utter sexiness, Sorbara flashed a devilish smile which was clearly indicative of someone with something up their sleeve. Opening with the massively popular “I Get Around” off Dragonette’s debut album Galore, she stalked the stage with a raw magnetism that simply demanded attention while behind a keyboard, her husband/bassist Don Kurtz created an effervescent feeling reminiscent of the neon-laced ’80s.
Martina Sorbara with Dragonette at the Venue, Oct 17 2009. Jessica Bardosh photo
Delving into the recently released second Dragonette album Fixin to Thrill, Sorbara swayed through “Big Sunglasses” and “Pick up the Phone” with the audience literally eating out of her hand. Under her spell, the lovestruck admirers in the front row belted out a mesmerizing rendition of “Competition”, one of many electric moments of the night.
Closing with an encore that included “Gone too Far”, a clever song with a strong country flavour, the audience was left intoxicated by what they had just witnessed. It’s easy enough to see why Dragonette was nominated for a Juno award last year, as they skilfully meshed new wave, pop, snyth and rock into something truly phenomenal. Eat your hearts out, Killers.
More Dragonette photos:
Dragonette at the Venue, Vancouver, Oct 17 2009
