*Show review and photos by Ash Placek*
The vibe is smokey, Portland punk-goth with a side of black faux-leather as Emma Ruth Rundle and her band step on stage at The Aladdin to open for Mono last Friday, June 7th.
This show, one of the last of Emma’s US stops with Japanese experimental post-rock band Mono will be followed by a lengthy European tour this fall.
ERR’s vocals soar on songs like “Darkhorse” and “Control” from her 2018 release, On Dark Horses. Her unique voice has hints of Dolores O’Riordan, and her band brings the stable footing of throbbing industrial rock.
Impressively bearded bass player Todd Cook, along with drummer Dylan Nadon, and guitarist Evan Patterson provided expert full-band support. Patterson’s guitar was haunting and frequently tangled with Emma’s to create a vibrant, dark-indie mood.
My favorite moment of the evening was when Emma pulled out a violin bow and “Jimmy Page-d” us all to start “Light Song.” Lyrics like ‘Crown my love with flowers, I crown my love with light’ achieve this beautifully intriguing pull-in when accented with Patterson and ERR’s ringing guitar licks and perfectly measured cymbals; it’s an odyssey of a song.
ERR is not one to be put in a box. She has cited Joanna Newsom-style crooner Kate Bush as well as experimental movie/music wizard David Lynch as influences. I could really hear the folk-rock of Lynch’s “Star Dream Girl” or “Cold Wind Blowin’” in the careful, cool instrumentation of ERR’s songs like “Dead Set Eyes” or “Apathy on the Indiana Border” (by the way, very accurate, way too many endless cornfields there to feel anything but apathetic).
To round off her set, Emma makes for a wonderfully intimate moment with a solo performance (her + her grittily-amped guitar) of “Real Big Sky” off her 2016 album, Marked for Death. The song’s hook is melodically pleasing and sombre. This ending gives the crowd yet another chance to admire the unique, mature voice that we’ve come to love.
As a venue tech myself, shooting this show was a pleasure, the lights were complementary to the mood, the sound was balanced, and the crowd was respectfully awed by the talent on stage.
Be sure to catch Emma Ruth Rundle live if you get a chance and check out On Dark Horses. Emma’s past work includes vocals/guitar with The Nocturnes, as well as current projects with Red Sparowes and Marriages.
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