St. Etienne took it to the house -- more like the Hall -- on Friday night to pump out the fan favorites and a few new tunes. Twenty-two years these folks have been making dancing feet happy.
- Lose That Girl
- Who Do You Think You Are
- Burnt Out Car
- Popular
- Spring
- Haunted Jukebox
- When I Was Seventeen
- A Good Thing
- Sylvie
- Tonight
- Only Love Can Break Your Heart
- Like a Motorway
- DJ
- Nothing Can Stop Us
- ENCORE: I've Got Your Music
- He's On the Phone
- ENCORE 2: You're in a Bad Way
It's not often that Cracknell & Co. breeze through these parts. It was six years since their last appearance and seven years since their last album. The release of their eighth album, Words and Music by Saint Etienne, and this tour is more than another reason to revisit their catalogue. During the day, I was listening to Foxbase Alpha, So Tough and the new one. They started out at a great time in British music. Stone Roses brought in the baggy, jangly sound and Soul II Soul laid out the foundations of trip hop and a new chill dance vibe.
Now, you can say they've not only survived, but thrived. With eight albums, they've had great variety and range. The new album is like an encompassing review of UK dance from the past two decades. You have the sweet memories and cool beats of the opener "Over the Border" and closer "Haunted Jukebox". In between, "Tonight" and "DJ" are their big dance throw downs, while "Last Days of Disco" is great retro-sounding cut that recalls Phoenix covering the Bee Gees.
Friday show didn't seem to last long, even with the two encores -- maybe a little over an hour. I joked to myself that they have to be in bed by 11. Sarah Cracknell still has that loving voice, but her dance moves are relegated to simple hand poses. Since Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs provide the music via electronics, you can never say they sound old or slow. Thus, the beats are always on point. It was good crowd for once at Webster Hall. I certainly glad I went instead of going to preparing for the incoming apocolypse.
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