Photo credit: Jeff DeMars
Armed to the teeth with synthesizers, dancing shoes and their most accessible album yet, self-proclaimed “basement pop” trio Dragonette is starting to find its footing in the above-ground music world. Currently touring in support of the recently released Bodyparts, Martina Sorbara and her band brought their talents to New York City on Wednesday night, taking Terminal 5 by storm and wasting no time at turning the venue into a dancehall.
Performing before a small but clearly devoted audience and opening for The Presets, Dragonette gave an energetic performance, jumping, marching and prancing their way through a set evenly split between new material and classic Dragonette tracks.
Taking the stage to warm applause, Dragonette opened their set with mid-tempo song “Pick Up the Phone,” then seamlessly launched into a trio of dance-heavy tracks from Bodyparts. The audience erupted during “Riot,” dancing along with Sorbara as she traversed the stage in her practically all white ensemble, complete with white dancing shoes. While Dan Kurtz and Joel Stouffer provided a solid musical backdrop, Sorbara put her impressive vocals on display and showed exactly why she is the “right woman” to lead this band.
Don Diablo collaboration effort “Animale” felt upbeat and chaotic in the best possible way, while “My Legs,” a Dragonette original about Sorbara’s inability to stop herself from going out dancing (her body parts literally take control of her mind), stole the first half of the show. Taking a break from the heavy-hitting electronic dance tracks, Dragonette played “Ghost” and “Untouchable,” two of the more personal, ballad-esque tracks from Bodyparts, back-to-back. Singing before a fully attentive audience, Sorbara’s voice shone brightly during these two tracks, demonstrating the band’s musical versatility.
The remainder of the set was packed with singles from throughout Dragonette’s repertoire as the band quickly lightened the mood and got the floor moving again. A distorted synthesizer riff kicked off and played throughout Galore single “I Get Around,” while a thick, organ-filtered synth intro transitioned into “Fixin’ to Thrill.” These two tracks, played in tandem, featured a wild light show that fostered a true club vibe and set the audience off. After a fun and carefree rendition of “Giddy Up,” a “messy li’l number” according to Sorbara, Dragonette closed their set with smash hit “Hello!” and Bodyparts’ lead single “Let It Go.” Again performed back-to-back, these two songs received the loudest ovation of the night from the swelling audience and served as the cap on a tremendous effort from the rising band.
The atmosphere of Dragonette’s show continuously climbed throughout their performance; the only true letdown occurred when the band left the stage and the house lights came up. Taking into consideration the band’s current trajectory and the accessibility of Bodyparts, one would hope that within a few years they will be headlining (maybe even selling out) a venue like Terminal 5, even on a Wednesday night. Until then, Sorbara, Kurtz and Stouffer will undoubtedly keep their dancing shoes on, and do their best to continue transforming music venues everywhere into dance clubs with their quality electro-pop music.
Photo credit: Jeff DeMars
SETLIST
Pick Up the Phone
Riot
Live In This City
Right Woman
Animale
My Legs
Take it Like a Man
Ghost
Untouchable
I Get Around
Fixin’ to Thrill
Giddy Up
Hello!
Let It Go
