The Sounds astound in Los Angeles

November 20, 2008, at the Hollywood Palladium

By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: November 22nd, 2008 | 1:40pm

It’s been a sweltering autumn in Southern California. The soaring temperatures are beginning to suck the fun out of wearing black leather pants and jackets inside sweaty concert halls. So what better way to cool things down than with the hot licks of Sweden’s premiere party band, the Sounds?

Singer Maja Ivarsson hails from the Debbie Harry school of rock. Every curl of her lips, every toss of her blond hair, every stomp of her fashionable feet rile audiences into a frenzy. The crowd surfing and fervent bopping were relentless, even during the debuts of new material. (Three fresh songs surfaced: a Killers/Missing Persons–like number about hurt, a fast track that would make Alex Kapranos proud, and a stirring tribute to their “second home” of Los Angeles.)

The sentiment was enthusiastically reciprocated. The crowd of mostly adolescents and early 20-somethings let loose like it was the first night of summer vacation. At least two girls, seemingly overcome by exhaustion or too much teenage binge drinking, were hauled out of the pit, but they still wore smiles on their faces. Classic Sounds offerings such as “Living in America” and “Queen of Apology” threw fists and a few shoes into the air. All the while, synthesizer guru Jesper Anderberg manhandled his instrument (save for the lighters-out sing-along ballad “Night After Night,” which saw him and Ivarsson sharing a beautiful intimacy).

A valuable trait of this band is its unpredictability. Sure, the live tunes sound identical to the albums, but merely listening to them in the comfort of one’s home is blasphemous. Why be a spectator when the Sounds literally come to you? (The sexy singer boldly leaped into the audience for “Fire” off the fact that she was wearing a long men’s jacket and cumbersome tight shorts.) The beats penetrate just a little deeper at their concerts. Anderberg and guitarist Felix Rodriguez — his face obscured by his hooded sweatshirt — mercilessly struck electronic drum pads for one of Ivarsson’s personal favorites, the new-waver “Ego.” The multicolored sheets that draped the stage for half the show were ripped down after a somber instrumental interlude to reveal the band members’ illustrated faces before they launched into the nihilistic “Painted By Numbers.” It was riotous, but professionally polished, too. By the time they closed the concert with the snarling “Hope You’re Happy Now,” the fans undoubtedly were pleased.

The opening acts provided their own brands of unpredictability. Local rockers Nico Vega shattered eardrums with their bluesy barnburners, and added an element of humor with their curly-wig-wearing backup dancers. Scene celebs Ima Robot jammed through a ton of genres, hitting everything from 1980s Bowie to the eerily evangelical.

Sure, they brought no solace from the late-season heat, but at least the Sounds and friends gave Los Angeles a better reason to sweat.

For more pictures from this show visit Venus Zine's Flickr page.