Ringo Death Star

It felt like a long time since I've seen Ringo Death Star. Awesome name for a band. This was my first time. I think it was for a mid-week shoegaze fest that Scary Lady Sarah had at Darkroom. My friend Philly Peroxide or Scary Lady Sarah posted a song from them at The Shoegaze Collective. I believe the song was "Summertime". I loved the song but when you have withering funds, you don't even want to window shop, but there they are on my radar, and then there I was in front of them. They were promoting the CD Colour Trip. Well, at least that's what I came home with. Even as I researched them my first impression is still this live performance. I did not share in the anticipation that my friends had for them. It was just so apparent I had to trust in their word, in their natural enthusiasm. I said shoegaze right? They were loud and had the engine of punk. But not the anger. In retrospect RDS remind me of Asobi Seksu only with a breathy male vocalist. I gotta say this, the bass player Alex was lovely. She sang as well. So there I am in front of her, and I'm really digging the band. They bring that wonder that naturally comes with the gray fog of shoegaze only they don't just walk you through it, casually, aimlessly. There is an urgent force driving you through that fog. Live, you would not know this as shoegaze. Such bands usually don't inspire mosh-pits but Ringo Death Star did....alright with two, three people. They even let some of the audience play the guitar. Normally this looks like the show is devolving out of control, the band goofing off and all. But apparently they knew what they were doing, and were in full control of their performance.