Ratatat – Heaven, London 07/12/2010

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Click on any image to enlarge | All photographs by Sebastien Dehesdin

When I think of the onomatopoeic inspired Ratatat two memories instantly come to mind…1) Playing ‘Lex’ at a high decibel level at University to drown out a neighbour’s dire Beyonce tribute act and 2) Bewilderment at their remix of Dizzee’s ‘Fix Up Look Sharp’ which removed the sterile bass drum and infected it with pulverizing guitars and magnetic synths for a cultured appeal.

Naturally I was excited to see Mike Stroud and Evan Mast; a duo of whom I hold high regard for. My only slight query was whether their performance would befit my bromantic outlook on their fledging back catalogue. I entered the venue shortly after the warmup act had finished and the setting was one that was suitably filled upstairs as well from wall to wall below the arches. This headline London gig was steadily awakening my subconscious to the duo’s mushrooming fanbase in the UK and Europe.

A giddy level of anticipation was unearthed from the masses via the late arrival of Ratatat on stage and a sound engineer’s continual emergence beforehand teased but was met with gleeful rapture nonetheless. Inevitably the lights dim, the scene is far from sombre and a smoke machine works overtime. “They’re here!” yells the young female to my right and fleeting yet engaging proceedings begin. The visual backdrop is a concoction of the bird family (ostriches etc. literally), lava looping across in slow motion and the relentless illumination sent me into a momentary daze.

‘Mirando’ in tandem with the Predator synced music video is warmly received, and ‘Wildcat’ is appropriately extended with a Tom-Tom drum encore which has hands held aloft applauding. The moment of ecstasy was provided via ‘Loud Pipes’ that had the whole place bouncing like Tigger and me doing a headbop fused with some side shuffles. (In the famous tagline of a friendly ghost, seeing is most definitely believing) In contrast, ‘Drugs’ and ‘Party With Children’ off the recent LP4 receive a lukewarm response compared to the adulation which songs from the self titled Ratatat debut and sophomore album Classics.

E*Vax (Mast’s adopted moniker) is the more vibrant side of the duo in his element straddling across stage whipping his hair and channelling his excitement via his Slash-esque guitar performance , whilst Stroud is content to take a backseat and keep the show ticking over. Their wasn’t much engagement from the front men, yet their discography acted as their more than capable spokesman.

The fans bellowed “One More Song” and the Band’s most popular hit ‘Seventeen Years’ was inevitably played for an encore. When the familiar refrain of “ I don’t write my stuff anymore I just kick it from my head / You know what I’m sayin? “ dropped, Ratatat had played their trump card in a magnanimous manner. The rhythmic handclaps, diverse body movements and occasional woo a la Ric Flair heralded a band who meticulously craft rock, Dre inspired beats and a hint of electro for maximum effect.