Welcome Back
Two and a half years is a long time in music but yet when Ra Ra Riot walked on to the Islington Garage stage it seemed only yesterday that we saw them last. With only the drummer looking any different to how they all looked before, largely because Kenny Bernard only joined the band this year.
Kicking off with 'Too Fast' Ra Ra Riot played the perfect blend of old and new songs, the audience were pretty much dancing all along the floor. Lead singer Wes Miles always seems happiest when he is at the front of the stage, getting as close as he can to the audience. Although, maybe he should now be classed as a part time singer with Alexandra Lawn taking over the singing duties of 'You and I Know', which went down well with the crowd despite a few bemused faces at the start.
As always, the band raced through the hour long set with new songs 'Boy' and 'Too Dramatic' being well received and especially 'Saccharin and the War' a B Side to the "Boy" EP, a fantastic cover of Sparks track from the 1970's.
The only sour note, for me and those overheard leaving the venue at the end was the sound quality. A band like Ra Ra Riot deserves a decent sound with their vibrant and varied instruments but tonight, the usually reliable Garage, let them down. An example would be when Wes Miles sang while playing the keyboards, his vocals were over powered by his instrument. However, the slightly poor sound did not hamper a fantastic evening, let's just hope we don't have to wait another two years for the next show.