Love Grenades Live In Concert: They Dance

Last night Bret Jensen went to a Halloween party at Danger in Brooklyn to watch Love Grenades. Me? I stayed home and watched the Yanks beat the Phillies.

But something Elizabeth Wight said during the interview, viz she hadn’t realized she danced goofy till she saw herself on youtube, got me to wondering if it was worth a peek. Watching the band play “Off To Sea” and “Young Lovers” at the Bowery Poetry Project last week Elizabeth sure does remind me of Debbie Harry: neither one of them can dance worth a damn. The band sounds terrific and they are much more rock rather than dance sounding live but Wight doesn’t seem to quite have it down yet. On both songs she runs out of breath towards the end.

During the interview Wlizabeth would claim she studied burlesque but chose not to dance it “If people can see you topless why would they want to see you with your clothes on?” after trying it once. Perhaps. She also found formal modern dance too restricting. Not really. If she learnt dance well enough she’d gain two things: she’d be able to dance well without thinking about movements, it doesn’t have to be formal and more like free form swimming. Once you know the moves your unconscious takes over. And two, it’d help her build rhythms for her songs.

Another tape of the band at LA’s SPaceland is significantly better because she doesn’t move as much. Looking glamourous mid stage Liz holds the mic high and moves her shoulder, her face is glistening with perspiration – by the time she dances you’re already sold. It’s pretty sexy and pretty good. Here is the url http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_StPDPr9WZg&NR=1

Better still is a film of the band completely in control of their enviroment at La Cita Barin downtown LA. It is Cinqo de Mayo on Mucho Wednesday’s and the band crushed Selena’s “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”. Wight is obviously having fun and for once she finds the rhythm and keeps it. It is a fun performace. Here’s the url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7PTH8ezOIE

And so the moral of this story is: don’t review live shows off youtube and learn how to move if you wanna front a dance band or have as much talent as Wight.