The Orpheum Theater welcomed a sold-out crowd for Ratatat Friday, kicking off what will be an impressive fall lineup at the venue for fans of electronic music.
Ratatat, described by genre-heads as a “rocktronica” duo, consists of musicians Mike Stroud and Evan Mast. With Stroud on electric guitar, Mast on bass and both members also playing a wide variety of synthesizers and percussion, Ratatat has combined the energy of live rock music and electronica for over a decade. The duo paved the way for electronic rock bands in the late 2000s, and in 2015 Ratatat came back in full force with their fifth studio album Magnifique, a string of festival appearances and headline runs, and a live show that’s bigger and better than ever.
Stroud and Mast took the stage charismatically at about 10:30 p.m. amid a sea of smoke and lasers, but their stage presence felt more like a grunge show than a rave. First seeing the duo shred on their guitars in front of a stunning light show was like watching a ’60s psychedelic rock band that had been placed in a time machine with all the benefits of modern music and production technology. Ratatat opened with “Pricks of Brightness” from 2015’s Magnifique, followed by “Loud Pipes,” a single off of 2006’s Classics. “Loud Pipes” was a crowd favorite and one of my favorite songs to see them perform, as the guitar hook is one of their most intoxicating melodies.
While technicolor lasers panned across the room intermittently, the band had quite an impressive visual production onstage. A projector was cast onto a large screen at the back of the stage, producing stunning silhouettes on the screen each time Stroud or Mast stood in front of the projector. Additionally, large glass displays on the sides of the stage with projectors behind them produced a hologram-like effect. All of these displayed stunning video graphics consistent with a lot of Ratatat’s concept art from albums like Ratatat, Classics and Magnifique.
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Just a few songs later, the duo dove into “Cream On Chrome,” the main single from Ratatat’s most recent album. The energy in the room was incredible and felt more like a high-caliber indie-rock show than an electronic concert, as many people in the front were too busy having their faces melted by Stroud’s harmonized guitar solos to be moving around and dancing. Both musicians bounced around the stage, switching off between their guitars, synthesizers and percussion instruments. I was just as much in awe of the band’s display of musicianship onstage as I was stunned by the visual production.
As Ratatat powered into their last few songs, Stroud and Mast seemed to become increasingly zoned in on their performance, putting more and more into each song. “Abrasive,” another single from Magnifique, was followed by a series of songs spanning the band’s discography: “Neckbrace,” “Wildcat” (another fan favorite from 2006’s Classics)and “Nightclub Amnesia” led up to a high-energy conclusion as the duo closed with “Gettysburg.” However, when the band left the stage, the house lights remained cut and the band’s logo still shone on the screen. Everybody knew the show was not over yet.
Ratatat returned to the stage to crank out two more crowd favorites. The first was “Seventeen Years” from the band’s 2003 self-titled debut, a treat for all of the old school Ratatat fans in the house. This performance was true to Ratatat’s core style- smooth bass lines, shredding guitar harmonies and a sea of lasers filled the room. Finally, the encore culminated with “Shempi” from 2008’s LP2. This final performance was a bit more showy, as Stroud and Mast set down their guitars and picked up their sticks to bang raucously on floor toms lit up with flashing colors. When the song came to a close, Stroud and Mast, who had said very little to the crowd throughout the show, gave the audience a humble “thank you” and left the stage.
Fans owe Ratatat a lot of respect for their influence on a wide variety of electronic music as well as rock music, but their new live show proves that they’re still going as strong as ever. Lest we confine the band to their place in history, Ratatat’s musicianship and showmanship solidified their place as one of the most talented acts in the scene today.
