Monday, November 25, 1996
CONCERT:
Club is too small a setting for band’s intense dance groovesBy
Damon Seeley
Daily Bruin Contributor
British technopunk artists Republica made a good showing at the
sold-out Whiskey on Thursday night, but it was unfortunately a
forgettable one. In town to promote their self-titled debut album,
the group suffered as a result of a tiny set list and a bad choice
of venue.
Opening bands Thin Lizzard Dawn and Love in Reverse, both
nouveau grunge rockers, were monotonous at best. Love in Reverse
lead singer/guitarist Michael Ferentino proved to audiences that if
angsty young musicians could have intercourse with their guitars,
they surely would. Both openers set the stage for an
audience-re-capturing performance by Republica.
The band seized this opportunity with flair and, after a minimal
amount of banter, opened up with their second U.S. single, "Drop
Dead Gorgeous." Lyrics like "My ex-boyfriend lies/ I know he does
it every time/ It’s his permanent disguise/ But he’s drop dead
gorgeous …" proved the perfect track to set a tone in LA and were
played at a blood-boiling pace. The song is an obvious success for
the band and showcased their talents perfectly.
"Bloke" and "Bitch" felt too similar and almost blended into
each other. Lead singer Saffron beautifully portrayed the persona
both songs idealize and was all smiles, uttering "you better watch
your back/ I’m gonna take you on" and "there’s no regrets, make no
mistake/ I want everything."
From here they moved to less noticeable tracks  "Get Off"
and a surprisingly subdued rendition of "Picture Me," a confusing
tune focused on idol worship.
"Ready to Go," Republica’s first nationally released single, was
performed with great style and updated noticeably to suit the club
environment. With their so-called British mix of "Ready to Go",
they replaced electric guitar riffs with heavy synth-ish hooks and
grooves, elevating the song to a new level.
It was this single track that showcased Republica’s ability to
incorporate both high-energy, electronic aspects of club music with
power chord-laden pop to create music that appeals to both
club-hopping and radio masses. This was by far the show’s
climax.
Subsequent songs served as a denouement to the frenetic energy
of "Ready to Go" and made heavy use of previously unshowcased
musical talents on the part of guitarist Johnny Male and (count
’em) two keyboardists.
After the 40-minute set, Republica was gone and wasn’t coming
back for an encore.
Republica’s short stage time stems from the fact that their
entire body of work hails from one album. This was a determining
factor in the show’s feeling, as Republica left audiences wondering
what character the band might have shown with more material.
Lead singer Saffron proved to have stage presence galore and
showed fans that her twitchy, bad-girl image is in no way an MTV
creation. At little over 5 feet tall and a mix of Nigerian,
English, Portuguese and Chinese, she defies conventional
definitions of "the frontwoman" and has truly joined the ranks of
charismatic female leads such as Gwen Stefani of No Doubt.
However, Republica’s sound was unfortunately deadened by the
Whiskey’s stiflingly tiny acoustic environment. Keyboard arpeggios
resounded off walls, yearning for a venue that fit Republica’s
growing popularity. The resulting sound was a little too thick to
express the nuances of Republica’s well-crafted hooks.
While their roots are smaller club scenarios, Republica seems to
understand what they are best at. Fans can only hope management
picks up on this next time the band visits L.A. and gives them a
chance to make their sound bristle and shine like it should.
RCA Records
British dance sensation Republica, (l. – r.) Saffron, Andy Todd
and Tim Dorney, played the Whiskey on Thursday.
Republica left audiences wondering what character the band might
have shown with more material.