Luna
The Bowery Ballroom
June 29, 2002
By David Chiu

It was a night for the shoegazers at the recent Luna show in the Bowery Ballroom, though they are now grown up and perhaps a little more upbeat than they were back in the early '90s. Still the band's droning, Velvet-like music provided those hazy-lazy memories for this packed crowd consisting of the hip (and sometimes nauseatingly looking) New York downtowners looking for a spark and a sleepy-eyed drug to their evening. They were not disappointed from these stalwart city-based band.

As voiced by a long-time geeky fan near me to a hot-looking girl (perhaps he initiated the conversation in the hopes of trying to score with this comely female), "Luna is a great live band." On the second night of their New York stint, Luna lived up to that fan's assessment by displaying some amazing musicianship and dreamy, melodic ruminations of romance and loneliness. Most of their set drew on their latest album, the stripped-down and warm Romantica: the poppy "Love Dust," "Weird and Woozy," the ultra romantic "Black Champagne," and the lush, beautiful "Mermaid Eyes." The rest of the set drew upon the band's earlier works and familiar songs like "Chinatown," "Slow Song," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Fuzzy Wuzzy," and "Freaking and Peaking." The songs and the show itself were the perfect mood setters for couples and singles trying to find love and themselves.

Each of the band members contributed greatly to the show's glow: Dean Wareham's deadpan vocals and intricate guitar, (not to mention movie-star looks; Sean Eden's amazing echo-plexed, atmospheric guitar work in his solos; Britta Philips' steady bass and harmony vocals, and Lee Wall's exceptional, adroit drumming. The technical difficulties didn't alter the flow one bit and the serious-nature and heavy mood of the music was offset by moments of humor and charm (i.e. Eden quoting the Who's "Boris the Spider" as a tribute to the recently departed John Entwistle). The members of Luna had an opportunity to showcase their musical chops at certain moments and did so very ably.

The dense-sounding music that night at the Bowery really spoke for lovers and the disaffected, and also for those looking to rock out. Those living in a cave or not having been out of their New York apartment for the last years should seize any opportunity to see this band when they are still in their prime. The fan/nerd may have not gotten the girl, but at least he came away with the memory of another great Luna show.

http://www.jetsetrecords.com

http://www.fuzzywuzzy.com

For information about Luna and to see pictures from the show, click on these cool links

http://www.grange85.co.uk/galaxie/index.php

http://www.pablochang.com