Her fearlessness immediately establishes presence on one of the darkest stages in the city, so there’s no need to see her face as she and the band start their set with “Julia,” a circus march with organ keys that’s a bit eerie and daunting. As the band moves through the set with tracks like “Fold the Cloth” and “Puts Me To Work,” we bring in tiny ringing bells, 70s psychedelic riffs and heavy minor keys reminiscent of Magical Mystery Tour. Yet other songs are still so classic, with two-step Brit punk rock and a bit of Ramones attitude. Really, this is all a bit beautifully spooky.
But what really gets the crowd into some kind of hypnotized groove are the harmonies. Part of what makes up Cate le Bon’s courage is her boyishness, a disregard to act “pretty” while performing and thus having an air of awkward and charming masculinity to her act. But when the harmonies kick in, the venue echoes with a timbre that can only be met by a male-and-female duet; with her slightly hollow vocals, the harmonies immediately re-establish Cate as the femme fatal in a dark romantic tragedy.
All-in-all, Cate is a dark force on stage. Her performance is about power and resonance, not about being sexy or sweet. Her pitch was on, the mood was set, and the crowd at T.T.’s were in a trance the whole time.
-Carolyn Vallejo
Photo Credit: Carolyn Vallejo
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