Stereolab brings unique style

Stereolab shares the spotlight with opening band Ui.

The electric church of Stereolab brought Obies and non-Obies alike to Finney on Nov. 11. Turn-out was impressive, the wooden pews and balconies were meticulously filled, with many standing up front close to the stage.

One group of dedicated fans from Columbus brought a sedate friend who napped in the back pews before the show had started. Removal of his wisdom teeth earlier in the day did not stop him from seeing his favorite band.

Plenty of people showed up aiming to soothe a sweet tooth for Stereolab. The austere wooden interior of Finney was warmed by a faint electronic hum emanating from the stage. Everyone seemed eager to be delivered by the sermon that is Stereolab.

After the quirky looseness of opening band Ui (pronounded "ooh-wee"), the audience was subjected to the tighter sound of Stereolab. Trailing a brief intermission, a near-deafening swirl of ambient noise filled Finney as the crowd anticipated the appearance of Stereolab. Gradually, each member of the band quietly found the way to the stage as the wall of sound ensued. The looped tape noise continued to build as each of the band members did a final check of their equipment before jumping into their first tune: a spirited version of "Les Yper-Sound."

The band seemed a bit overwhelmed by the impressive turn-out and general rowdiness of American audiences. "Thank you, hello," softly spoke lead vocalist Laetitia Sadier after the thunderous applause. They next played the hyperactive French pop of "Percolator" followed soon afterwards by "Cybele's Reverie." Despite the withdrawn demeanor of the band, the sound was electrifying and loud.

The lean Sadier towered over the crowd, often switching from supple vocals to the moog squallings of her adjacent keyboard: her presence, subdued yet alluring. When singing, she would stand perfectly still and composed, peering innocently above the crowd, her hands dropped to her sides subtly gesturing.

Tucked back stageright resided guitarist Tim Gane, who spent a good majority of the show eyes closed, boyishly shaking his head sideways as he strummed away. Percussionist Andy Ramsey was seated centerstage and provided an ample and propulsive beat. Morgane Lhote shyly plugged away at her farfisa organ, while the bassist Richard Harrison seemed glued to his spot, barely moving throughout the show. Mary Hansen gracefully backed-up Sadier's vocals and played some guitar fills. The band remained controlled and professional throughout, only budging to change instruments or pick up a tambourine.

Despite the lack of galvinizing stage presence, the atmosphere was warm with adulation and excitement. A good mix of new and old was performed, though primarily drawing from their latest Emperor Tomato Ketchup . During the title track, Gane broke a string to which Hansen would later cheekily reply, "That's the first time that's ever happened."

Hansen actually seemed to be more of the spokesperson of the band than Sadier, at one point playfully inquiring, "Are you misbehaving back there?" A few answers were shouted back to which a somewhat baffled Hansen responded, "What? Kick your ass?"

The set culminated with an extended version of "Metronomic Underground." At this point, the crowd was quite into the music; some were engaged in a sprockets-esqe automaton movement, some were ardently performing a ska dance in the pews, some appeared to be praying, bobbing and weaving all at once, while some stood absolutely still and transfixed.

Gane went a bit wild on this song, viciously strumming out some phased-out noise from his guitar. Eventually, he dropped to his knees and pounded on the pedals with his hands, switching up the sound and fiddling with the little knobs. The song ended with the fuzzed-out riff leading into the final instrumental jam.

Of course, the crowd was not so quick to part with the band, and so following some booming applause and catcalls, Stereolab reemerged onstage for an encore performance. The first song appeared to be new complete with a "dum-de-dum-dum" chorus. Then after another high-octane jam, Ui joined the 'Labsters for a dynamite double encore offering. Spilling over with two drummers, three keyboardists, three guitarists, and a bassist, the show culminated with a skyrocketing instrumental jam that lasted over 20 minutes.

Opening New York band Ui was well-received by this excited and energetic crowd to whom, bassist Sasha Frere-Jones exclaimed, "You guys are by far the rowdiest crowd we've ever had, and this is a chapel!" In response to the crowd's laughter, Sasha indicated upwards: "Shh, you'll make him mad."

Ui, composed of bassists (who sometimes tinker with synthesizers and guitar) Sasha Frere-Jones and Wilbo Wright, along with drummer Clem Waldman, played a scintillating and entertaining set before Stereolab's. They opened with a new song called "The Fortunate One," featuring some clever slide bass: a trademark of their sound.

Combining elements of funk, inventive interplay of double bass, creative tempo changes and quirky synthesizer sound-effects, Ui beguiled an appreciative audience. They performed the songs, "Egg," "Sexy Photograph" and "Lull," all on their Southern Records Sidelong  LP, among others.

One particular highlight of Ui's set was a bearded blue-haired man who was seriously getting down by the leftside amp stacks. During the whole set, the audience was enthralled by his furiously shaking blue-streaked head. At one point between songs, Frere-Jones indicated his name. The crowd acknowledged him as the mysterious fourth member of Ui and left it at that.

Stereolab and crew departed in the same fashion that they arrived: one by one each of the band members exited from the stage as the last melody faded into the deafening looped wall of sound the set began with. Their fans seemed elevated to a Stereolab-induced state of mind while at the same time nursing a permanant ringing of Sadier's oscillating moog organ in their ears.

Above:

Excursions: Stereolab's trip to Finney was a mellow swirl of sound that swaddled the audience as well as the band. (Photo by Mike Oleson)

Below:

Sadier's reverie: Stereolab's still but strong presence in Finney was long awaited (Photo by Mike Oleson)