Photos – Dragonette at Venue, Vancouver, Oct 17 2009
– text 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-led Dragonette brought a powerful performance filled with throbbing beats, stunning vocals and an underlying sexual presence embodied by the frontwoman herself.
Bouncing out on stage in a pants-and-suspenders creation that tiptoed androgyny with utter sexiness, Sorbara flashed a devilish smile. The smile was clearly indicative of someone with something up her sleeve.
Opening with the massively popular “I Get Around” off the band’s debut album Galore, she stalked the stage with a raw magnetism. 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”. 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, Dragonette left the audience 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.
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