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Written by Kelly Glueck Friday, 29 October 2010 13:04

Makino’s outfit consisted of  silver sparkly pants and a bleached white mask, awkwardly complemented by protruding blond locks reminiscent of something from a Bjork or Daft Punk show.

Photos: Jeff Myers

The Pageant, St. Louis

Have you ever seen a crowd in a synchronous hypnotic sway? Leave it to the seductive lull of Blonde Redhead. Promoting their new album Penny Sparkle, which dropped September 14, the New York-based band returned to St. Louis after a decade-long gap.

This time as headliners, lead singer Kazu Makino approached the stage with bandmates and Italian-born twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace. The band greeted the audience through a blanket of fog and the faint twinkle of the flame-inspired light bulbs atop their microphone stands. Makino’s outfit consisted of  silver sparkly pants and a bleached white mask, awkwardly complemented by protruding blond locks reminiscent of something from a Bjork or Daft Punk show.

The trio showcased their musical aptitude by dancing around stage from guitar to synthesizer to keyboard. They performed an array of songs spanning their fifteen-year catalog, including “Falling Man,” from 2004's  Misery is a Butterfly and “In Particular,” from 2000's Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, all of which were instant crowd-pleasers. However, the majority of the set consisted of the rich, brooding pop beats of their latest two albums: 23, released 2007 and their newest, Penny Sparkle. The group’s dance-tastic guitar riffs and eerie vocals enticed the previously puny crowd into a sea of dazed, bobbing heads and moving bodies.

After a mere ten songs the group exited the stage, leaving the crowd demanding more. Reemerging with “Here Sometimes,” a song from the new album, Blonde Redhead satisfied the crowd with three more songs, including the powerful closer, “Melody of Certain Three.” The under-four-minute studio song turned into an extended parade of noise filled with loud, shredding guitars and a continuous, heavy drum solo. It was a perfect way to end the night, and the crowd could not have asked for anything more. | Kelly Glueck

Photos: Jeff Myers