Ratatat

Posted on: 8 December 2010

I saw Ratatat at the weekend, and, like a lot of artists in my music collection, they are a band I know due to a couple of songs I discovered by them years back. Ratatat were supporting Vampire Weekend at the Brighton Centre last week (who I'll get onto shortly), and as much as I enjoyed Vampire Weekend, it was Ratatat who left me yearning for me. Luckily, I managed to get hold of last minute tickets to see the twosome performing again a few days later at a much more intimate venue. I was not disappointed.

I should first mention Vampire Weekend were flawless. I'm a big fan of both their two albums and it was a real treat to see them perform hit after hit. But to really appreciate a band live there needs to be just that little extra something that I failed to see with Vampire Weekend. Don't get me wrong, they were entertaining but they lacked any true live stage presence.

Ratatat owned the stage (which, coincidently, was delightfully tiny). As a guitarist myself I was in awe of the noises coming out of the Vox AC30 on the backline; almost synth-like, infinite sustain and bell-like clarity to every riff. And the use of a whammy pedal gives Ratatat their unique layered and harmonised sound. When the opening line to 'Seventeen Years' began - arguably the bands best hit, the roof almost came off Coalition; It was quite special and highlighted the virtues of a small venue.

Considering I turned up with the knowledge of only a handful of songs, I remained captivated for the duration of the gig and have duly added the first few albums to my Christmas list. Very impressed.

On a similar note, I'm seeing Black Rebel Motorcycle Club live for the second time this weekend. If they are half as good as they were last time I saw them, I'm in for a treat!