DIRTY PROJECTORS with PURITY RING at the Danforth Music Hall, Friday, July 6. Rating: NNNN
You don’t go to a Dirty Projectors show for the showmanship or visual gimmicks, and that’s absolutely fine.
If band leader Dave Longstreth does get around to addressing the crowd, there’s a good chance he’ll forget to talk into the microphone, and any movements he makes onstage seem largely unintentional and charmingly awkward.
Co-vocalist and guitarist Amber Coffman does prowl the stage with more confidence, and exudes some of that traditional pop charisma when it’s her turn to take the lead, but ultimately the show is all about the stunningly intricate harmonies, jagged rhythms, and their oddly beautiful R&B/folk/experimental/rock/jazz songs.
If fans were disappointed that the set was focused mainly on their brand new album Swing Lo Magellan, it didn’t show.
The new songs got just as much applause as old favourites, and the band executed both with impressive precision, while still maintaining that casual fluidity that helps make their more out-there tendencies feel accessible and intimate.
While Dirty Projectors placed the focus squarely on the music and the playing, openers Purity Ring took the opposite approach.
Sure, their ethereal shoegazer R&B is also powerful on a purely sonic level, but it’s their innovative lantern synths and DIY light show that grabs your attention.
Performing electronic music live always runs the risk of not feeling very live, but Purity Ring have developed a unique solution to that problem.
Read an interview with the band here.
