Goldfrapp: Live in NYC
Roseland Ballroom, New York10/18/06
In 1999, former punk rocker Alison Goldfrapp joined forces with multi-instrumentalist Will Gregory to form Goldfrapp, a band that would become the future standard in electronic glam-sex pop. Before her ascension to the throne, Goldfrapp and Gregory produced the airy, mysterious and Mercury Music Prize–nominated Felt Mountain in 2000, leaving many to think that Goldfrapp was simply picking up where Portishead and the Sneaker Pimps left off. However, two follow-up albums, Black Cherry (2003) and Supernature (2005), made it clear that Alison simply needed to complete a transformation from café-style chanteuse to leather whip–wielding siren before the music world embraced her as a unique musical force.
On Wednesday night at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC, Goldfrapp made their final appearance of 2006 to celebrate the October 17 release of their new remix album, We Are Glitter (Mute), which features remixes by heavyweights the Flaming Lips and Benny Benassi. Not intending to let down the capacity crowd, Alison arrived on stage wearing a short and sexy red outfit that had anyone lucky enough to be in the front rows glad they arrived early. Opening with the more reserved and almost spooky “Utopia” from Felt Mountain, Goldfrapp created a David Lynch—esque scene and immediately ensnared the audience with her otherworldly voice and magnetic stage presence.
After dabbling with her darker side for a few songs, the real Goldfrapp show began. On the song “Train,” Goldfrapp’s dueling keytarists (think 1980’s guitar-styled keyboards) were joined on stage by four synchronized dancing women dressed as erotic wolves, and two songs later, Alison’s inner dominatrix was revealed when the dancers re-emerged clad in latex body suits to perform the, uh, suggestive track “Slide In.” Later, taking it to an even sexier level, her dancers appeared again, this time as Egyptian goddess/exotic dancer/centaurs (got all that?) for the crowd favorite “Ride a White Horse.”
Clearly hitting her stride, Alison told the crowd “Now this is a real gig — not like that thing last night” in reference to her performance with the Strokes, Kanye West, and Carl Cox at the Hennessey Global Mixing Party. Drawing from the crowds’ enthusiastic response, Alison Goldfrapp trotted into the spotlight and launched into a version of “Ooh La La” that had her high-stepping back and forth across the stage while leading the crowd in the chorus. After taking a short break, Goldfrapp finished off the magical evening by playing their new self-remixed version of “Strict Machine” from We are Glitter. In the end, once the lights had come on and the synchronized dancing had ended, most people left the building talking with friends about how amazing Alison had been — of course, a few never got over the four girls dressed like horses.
Out Now:
We Are Glitter
