The second band performing at Summer Scene was Alexandra & The Starlight Band,… without the full band. I had seen them before with several musicians and they had totally rocked the house, but this time they arrived as an acoustic duo, but this didn’t prevent them to capture everyone’s attention. Alexandra Starlight has a hell of a voice, which becomes even more powerful and efficient when you hear it clearly. She evokes Janis Joplin, with a strong and agile voice, modulating like a R&B old class Motown diva, and hardly needing a back up band to occupy the whole stage. She has swagger to sell and plenty of attitude, and was interacting with the crowd as if she owned the place.
Although her performance with fiancé Zachary James was only acoustic – she said they have been engaged for a year but have to record the album before getting married – her electrifying presence was largely compensating for the lack of back up musicians. Colorful with her green hair, hippie-punk with her fashion, she was sharing a real complicity with James who was as thin and tall as Joey Ramone.
This power couple seem to have put a modern spin on American classic, from soul to rock to R&B, covering Johnny Cash’S ‘Long Legged Guitar Pickin’ Man’ and making a 80-year-old couple dance. Even during a smooth ballad, she was tapping her foot while singing right in everyone’s face. Their last song ‘T.T.M.F.’(Two Timin’ other Fucker’) summed their true-t0-rock-n-roll attitude with lots of soul, plenty of attitude and a stage presence of the greatest performers.
Plenty pictures of the show here.
