Ray Davies (center) and Neko Case (right) join the New Pornographers Friday night for a version of the Kinks' "Starstruck." (Photo By Gary Miller)
New Pornographers
La Zona Rosa, Friday 16
The New Pornographers are a supergroup of sorts composed of a varied bunch of Vancouver scenesters. The recently released debut,
Mass Romantic, is a dizzying parade through the world of power pop, and this performance went a long way toward proving that not only are they talented in the studio, but can pull it all off live as well. Led by songwriters Carl Newman (Zumpano) and Daniel Behar (Destroyer), and aided by the use of two keyboards, the New Pornographers played their off-kilter rhythms and riffs with an infectious enthusiasm that had more than a few heads in the audience bobbing. Highlights included a roaring version of the album's title track, where blissful Beach Boys-style harmonies were matched with grinding guitar riffs and the soaring vocals of alt.country chanteuse Neko Case, who joined the band on a pop holiday of sorts. Throughout the set, tension was built and then fittingly released by the set closer, the band's wannabe hit "Letter to an Occupant," when the harmonies and multilayered instruments, equal parts Cheap Trick and T. Rex, came together in a glorious sonic haze. As the band finished, they sheepishly looked at each other, and then Case introduced Ray Davies, who joined the band for a rollicking version of the Kinks' "Starstruck," a track from the 1968 album
The Village Green Preservation Society that perfectly matched the New Pornographers' musical style, shining a light on a great new band and once again showing Davies' genius as a songwriter.
