Dragonette at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen

Dragonette at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen

20 November, 2009
by: Piers

When Levi’s start becoming the arbiters of taste in new music, you have to worry about the state of culture in this country. Let’s not dilly-dally around the subject; the denim mulitinational were responsible for not only the launch of Shaggy’s career, but also the appearance on Top of the Pops of an androgynous freak screaming about spacemen that left my pre-teen self mentally damaged and wary of silver for some time.

So, it’s a relief to say that Dragonette, as part of Levi’s One To Watch series, buck the trend for transmitting faecal matter over our airwaves, with a set of electro-pop pieces that get the early doors crowd reasonably excited considering the lack of refreshment up to this point. At first, I can’t get over the fact that the impossibly tall and lean guitarist resembles exactly what I imagine the lovechild of Peter Crouch and a crack whore would look like. However, these thoughts are soon blown away as frontwoman Martina Sorbara (who in retrospect is quite similar to the Babylon Zoo moron although far more alluring) picks up the microphone and entices the crowd into some suitable jostling.

Ripping through electro ditties like ‘I Get Around’ and their tribute to Calvin Harris ‘The Boys’, it is clear to see where Dragonette’s attraction lies: Martina. All eyes are on the singer as she jerkily dances around the stage, infusing her vocals with an intimate sexiness that at once demands attention and perfectly complements the back line power of bassist Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer. The group end the set with crowd favourite ‘Pick Up The Phone’, an instantly infectious number with a chorus that often finds you at inopportune moments, leading to some dodgy looks on the bus. As the crowd disperses, it is the turn of Marina and the Diamonds to follow what has been a pretty decent set, if perhaps hampered by the early slot.

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Piers