Stellastarr# - New York Irving Plaza - 31/03/04
4/5
By: Joshua K
Some evenings were always destined to be sacred.
Tonight, friends, Stellastarr* play their biggest hometown headline gig yet - and young New York City has turned out ready to, no, wanting to love them. It's a sight to behold... and the Stella-boys - and girl - seldom disgruntle. Rising to the environs with a tuneful set that emphasized raw edges and did their 1980's heritage proud, they (tunefully) pummelled the night away in a heady, swirling, Talking Heads via U2 and Echo & The Bunnymen stylee. Yet this felt like no timewarp.
The highpoints are bountiful. Consider perfect renditions of 'My Coco' and 'Jenny', the latter concluding with a controlled but surprisingly furious jam. Or a soaring take on 'No Weather', contrasted with an almost primal version of 'Somewhere Across Forever' in which singer Shawn Christensen delivers each word as if it's the last he'll ever emote. Even b-side 'Underdressed', a fine three-minutes of jittery post-punk, goes down a storm.
Saving their finest, most grandiose for last, the band encored with a crunching version of debut LP-closer 'Pulp Song'. Introduced by Shawn with a playfully-muttered, 'What to do next...' (as if they currently have any other songs left in their canon) it features powerfully-howled, Jack White-esque vocals that turn into stunning, full-on screams at the end. Blinding.
With that, Stellastarr* depart victorious into the NY night, confirming what a certain Old Blue Eyes (Sinatra, rather than Morrissey) once sang: 'If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.' And make it they have - in trench coats and spades.
Artists in this article: Stellastarr*
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