Walking into Radio Radio from the wet streets and heavy air, it was a shift in perspective and era. It wasn’t quite the shock of the Red Room, lending its decor more to 60s lounge than David Lynch’s manic scarlet, but those oddities of space and time expanded and contracted as a poorly subtitled Jodhaa Akbar played across four big-screen televisions spread behind the bar and above the entrance.
It did not seem to bother TEEN. Led by Teeny Lieberson and her defiant claim (“I do it better than anybody else”), the young foursome showed great maturity in front of a sparse but enthusiastic crowd. Unlike the band’s recorded output, which leans on slick production and a cavalcade of effects, TEEN is a rawer and more productive unit live. Although the vocals were buried and the keyboards up-front, the emotion of the long road of touring (flanked by an apathetic venue happy to keep Bollywood epics at the top of the bill) led to a frenzied, kinetic set. Teeny treated her guitar as an ex-lover, battering and coddling it. A lot of the signature caterwaul of In Limbo gave way to a more natural roar of guitar strings, and a worthy rhythm section that added more live than they have in the studio. The crowd was clearly there for headliner Eleanor Friedberger, but TEEN made their mark and a few new fans. Just another night out on the town.
Much like TEEN, the latest work from Friedberger also speaks louder and rings more true live. Of course, this is the crux of the live performance, but we’ve all been burned one too many times by bands propped up by studio magic. Not so with Friedberger; she may be chained by it. She began with Personal Record opener “I Don’t Want to Bother You,” and her four-piece backing band rendered its punchy pop vibrant and lighthearted. As the band loosened further, even sad ruminations like “Other Boys” became jolly remembrances rather than tears-in-beers ballads. But discretion also was Friedberger’s valor, toning down the jangle of “When I Knew” without losing its classic catchy dynamic. The most commanding note was Friedberger’s presence. She carried herself as a bandleader, proving to be a worthy performer as well, bouncing along to her band’s pep and showing real connection to her words in fond farewells and sad ballads. But don’t tell the two kids who were romantically entwined, they might feel bad they missed such a great performance. Or not.
