Image by Laura Leebove
Mr. Wolf, the Noisettes’ time is now
The Noisettes in Chicago, June 9, 2007
By Laura Leebove
Published: June 13th, 2007 | 10:56am
Shingai Shoniwa is as electrifying as the lightning bolt on her bass guitar strap and as outrageous as the ruffled, shiny gold shrug she wore during the Noisettes’ sold-out performance on June 9, 2007 at Schubas in Chicago. Dressed also in black lingerie under unbuttoned black jeans, the petite singer, bassist, and part-time guitarist for the London trio was all over the stage, keeping still for only seconds at a time. Even with a foot injury — presumably a result of her onstage antics — Shoniwa kept going with the quick tie of a bandage.
Shoniwa, joined by singer-guitarist Jamie Morrison and drummer Dan Smith, opened the set with “Don’t Give Up,” the frenzied first track on their most recent album, What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf? (Universal Motown). Whether it was from the sharp, repeated guitar riff or the slick solo near the end, the song created an intense energy that set the bar for the rest of the set pretty damn high. Hair standing tall on her head and garnished with feathers, Shoniwa kept the show interesting by running around the stage, singing on top of platforms, and jumping down into the crowd.
From there, the band slipped into “The Count of Monte Christo,” one of the Noisettes’ tamer songs, driven by Morrison’s calm, sweeping guitar, along with echoed harmonies between him and Shoniwa. After “Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit),” an upbeat, straight-up rocknroll number, the trio showed off its versatility and dropped the set back down a notch to perform “Cannot Even (Break Free).” The song, though infused with blasts of heavy guitar and bouts of screeching, gave Shoniwa a chance to show off her jazzy, sultry side.
Picking up the pace once again, the Noisettes blasted the punk rock-filled “Nothing to Dread,” followed by “Mind the Gap,” which featured high-pitched vocal trills and exposed Shoniwa’s impressive range. The trio saved “Scratch Your Name” — a lively track with New Pornographers-like harmonies in the chorus — for near the end of the show. After a short break, they came back to play an acoustic song (Shoniwa’s voice could be heard even without a microphone), and ended with “Bridge to Canada,” a piece built on time signature changes and full choruses. Though the Noisettes flew through their set list of only about 10 songs, the short performance definitely packed a lot of punch.
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