Ra Ra Riot @ Union Transfer.

January 26, 2013

by gwmiller3

On Thursday, two days after releasing their third album, Beta Love, Ra Ra Riot performed at Union Transfer.

“I hope you got a chance to buy it and memorize all the words,” joked Wes Miles, the band’s lead vocalist. “So help me sing it tonight.”

The band kicked off the tour earlier this month in New York, in the same city where they formed during their years at Syracuse University back in 2006. After an EP release in 2007, Ra Ra Riot quickly transitioned from house shows to larger music venues, following up with their first full-length album, The Rhumb Line, in 2008. It didn’t’ take long for the six-member group to quickly gain a following, garnered from their string-heavy, indie sound. With Rebecca Zellar on violin and Alexandra Lawn on cello, Ra Ra Riot brought an array of musical talent to the stage that felt fresh and energetic. Rhumb Line was followed by The Orchard in 2010, which again won rave reviews with its orchestral pop and prominent bass lines.

However, with their newest album, Ra Ra Riot has taken a slight shift away from their signature sound. After six years with the group, Alexandra Lawn announced early last year that she was leaving the band, which would leave Ra Ra Riot without a cellist. Lawn’s absence is clearly present in the faster-tempo album, which gets more electronic and employs heavier synth. Rather than replace Lawn, the group declared that there was a self-described intent to make a move away from the orchestral sounds that essentially defined them. Perhaps the techie-vibes of the synth were to match what they say was the inspiration for the album, sci-fi novelist William Gibson and theorizer/inventor/futurist Ray Kurzweil.

While there’s no cellist on Beta Love’s 11 tracks, there was one present at UT on Thursday, the 3^rd stop of the tour. Playing a hollowed out electric cello, the red-lipsticked lady was an essential part of the set as Ra Ra Riot played a mix of songs off of all three albums.

The energy their music is known for carried through to their stage presence. At times (more like the whole show), it was hard to choose where to hold your focus. Miles was constantly making small jumps as he shifted back and forth across the stage. It was him you wanted to stare at when leaning out over the audience or high jumping off the edge drummer Kenny Bernard’s bass piece. At other times, it was hard not to stare at Zeller, emphatically drawing her bow across a shiny gold violin. And then there were the LED lights, flashing neon blues, reds, greens and yellows to backlight the stage and bring even more visual motion to an already filled stage.

It was definitely not a show to forget, even if at times it did feel a little hyperactive. Opener Guards were equally as energetic, delivering a drum-beat heavy set with frontman Richie Follin lifting his guitar atop his head on multiple occasions. Follin is brother to the lead singer of Cults, and the band has a somewhat similar, though simpler sound. Follin’s vocals are reminiscent of John Gourley’s from Portugal the Man and show potential despite the basic musical backdrop that would occasionally drown them out.

After Ra Ra Riot’s one-hour set, they ended with a two song encore, including the popular “Dying is Fine” from the first album and “I Shut Off” from their latest. Miles made sure to high five the entire front row before heading out for the night.