The Rapture - The Rapture Is Live And Well In New York City (Mercury)
UK release date: 12 July 2004
track listing
1. Infatuation
2. Out Of The Races And Onto The Tracks
3. Modern Romance
4. Olio
5. Open Up Your Heart
6. The Pop Song
7. The Coming Of Sping
8. Heaven
9. Sister Saviour
10. Killing
11. Echoes
12. House Of Jealous Lovers
13. Happy Birthday
14. Rock N Roll Part 2
15. Love Is All
The last few years have seen a succession of bands looking to marry dance music to rock. Acts such as Le Tigre, Radio 4, !!! and LCD Soundsystem have all successfully fused the dynamics of punk and rock into a club friendly sound. Leading the charge though and setting the standard has been The Rapture. Since their inception and over the course of several EPs, the band have moved from their hardcore punk roots to a more dancefloor direction, finally emerging on last yearıs DFA produced Olio LP as the premier disco-punk band on the scene.
With its tight new wave guitars, pummelling percussion and occasional blasts of synth and sax, Olio was like classic early Cure playing at the Hacienda and all the better for it. Now, a year on, we have the DVD to show that it's not just in the studio or spinning on some DJ's deck that they can cause a ruckus. Filmed last Christmas at the Bowery Ballroom in New York, these homecoming shows mark the end to a triumphant year for the band.
So why after all that promise, does this DVD leave me feeling distinctly under whelmed? It's not that the band disappoint, they are seemingly on fine form and happy to play their biggest tunes. Yet something is missing, the editing of the show is a little flat, and while the band's show is minimal anyway, at least when you're at the show you're caught up in the excitement and sheer loudness of the spectacle. At home on a grey Sunday morning in your pyjamas, you need a little something extra to keep the telly from being flicked over to the Hollyoaks omnibus.
For some reason in the translation from live show to DVD, some of the excitement and rawness has been lost. Tracks such as Olio, Sister Saviour and House Of Jealous Lovers still carry a weighty impact, but there's not much to add to the studio versions and seeing the band onstage soon loses its appeal after the first few songs. For those that like live albums this is a nice enhanced version, but for those that find it hard to become enthused about watching a gig they haven't attended there is precious little extra here to hold the attention.
Bolstering the package we have the videos to the band's last three singles, the aforementioned House Of Jealous Lovers, Sister Saviour and recent release Love Is All. However, aside from House Of Jealous Lovers excellent cut-up montage, they pretty much consist of the band playing live anyway.
Whilst the inclusion of the videos goes some way to adding value to the package, the noticeable lack of any other extras gives this the feel of a lightweight package. At the end of the day though, it's supposed to be a DVD of a live show and that's exactly what you get, so it feels a little churlish to complain too much. All in all this is probably one for the more hardcore fans and completists out there.