Ladyhawke Live 07/11/09

The last time I saw Ladyhawke she was playing at a pub in Chatswood. Admittedly, that was prior to the release of her album and she was still better known as the (ex-)frontwoman of Teenager. Pip has had a pretty wild ride since then. She's gone on to become the poster girl of the synth-rock/pop revival and finally achieved a much deserved commercial breakthrough with the top ten hit "My Delirium". I guess last night's sold out show at The Enmore was something of a homecoming and the concert definitely felt like a party. One of the coolest things about Pip's transformation into Ladyhawke is the fact that she's carried her rock sensibility into the pop world. There's not a lot of fuss - no staging, no costume changes or special effects. Just a woman with a guitar and bunch of really, really good songs. In fact, I think she performed the entire album. The highlights for me were "Crazy World" (why wasn't this dreamy gem ever released as a single?), the brilliant "Oh My" and the best song that Pat Benatar never recorded "Back Of The Van". The encore was the evening's only misstep. Ladyhawke payed homage to her NZ countrymen with a cover of Split Enz's "Message To My Girl" before launching into a strangely sedate version of Patti Smith's "Free Money". Winding up the concert with a ballad and a song that half the crowd had never heard before was slightly awkward. Not that anyone cared when Pip closed the show with "My Delirium". All in all, a pretty fucking awesome night!

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Ladyhawke - My Kind Of Bird

Occasionally you hear a song that grabs you by the balls and just keeps on squeezing. The track currently bruising my sack is Ladyhawke's majestic "Back Of The Van". I had fallen head over heels in love with this trashtastic flashback before the end of the first verse. From the opening synths, "Back Of The Van" is a three and a half minute rollercoaster ride back to the 80s. Not particularly original, I hear you saying but the thing that makes Ladyhawke unique is where she derives her sound. Every tart with a synthesizer has ripped off New Order and Depeche Mode but few list Stevie Nicks, Kim Wilde, Pat Benatar and Phil Collins as their major influences! In fact, "Back Of The Van" wouldn't sound out of place on any of Stevie's solo albums. I also hear touches of Heart and Starship thrown in for good measure. I wonder what ever happened to the Wilson sisters and Grace Slick. I worshipped those bitches!

So where did this Ladyhawke chick spring from? Well, Pip (her real name) first appeared on my radar as part of the Sydney based electro duo Teenagers (check out the excellent "Alone Again") but according to her bio she was already an established performer in her native New Zealand. Since going solo, things have really started to snowball for Ladyhawke. She's joined the Modular fold (the label behind The Presets, Cut Copy, Van She and Muscles) for domestic distribution and been snapped up by Universal UK. They are going with a different first single in Europe ("Paris Is Burning" - released on the 30th of June) but I don't like it half as much as "Back Of The Van". Speaking of which, make sure you watch the fabulous video (below). Bonnie Tyler called and she wants her hair back! This gem was released in Australia on Monday exclusively to iTunes. Check out Ladyhawke's Myspace for more details.


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