Recent Mercury signings Dragonette are creating quite a buzz on the London scene. Hailing from Toronto, these electro-rock dance bunnies have crash landed this side of the Atlantic, and for the past year have been gigging constantly from toilets to the much more classier venues of the capitals.
Martina Bang, the band's frontwoman should be familiar to you, as it was she who lent her girly vocals to the Basement Jaxx single Take Me Back to Your House. Playing the cosy Fly Bar, they thumped out a tight set of danceable songs of love and lust, which really wouldn't sound out of place in Kylie's back catalogue. Unfortunately, this is where Dragonette fall down. This type of pseudo-electro sassy pop is totally en vogue at the moment (or twelve months ago?), and both Goldfrapp and Kylie do it so much better. And sexier.
Don't get me wrong, Dragonette are a great live act, but the set suffers from a lack of dynamic - the tempo seems to be the same all the way through. Throughout all the songs, there is groove galore, but this isn't nearly enough to keep interest when the whole half an hour runs at the same level of mediocre intensity.
Just being able to boogie to this type of music isn't enough anymore. In an age where people can write and record music in the bedroom to a very high standard, the level needs to go up a notch or two. And Dragonette's simpleton teenage-poetry style lyrics and generic dance beats just don't cut it.
This is a shame because all the other elements are there: a chic and sexy frontwoman, top notch musicianship and great chemistry between band members. Unfortunately, Dragonette do not have any songs. Very much a matter of style over substance.
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