A Flash of Clean White Hope

They say that music has become plastic and anodyne. They say that music is no longer political. They’re reduced to hyping rather mediocre bands, proclaiming them as the next big thing, despite the insipid 70s New York sound.

These people are Wrong, and Not To Be Trusted.

Sleater-Kinney played Carrboro last night. I've been eager to see them live for over four years now, ever since hearing 'Little Babies' as a Mark 'n' Lard record of the week.. Expectations? After that long, it would have to be one of the greatest concerts I had ever attended.

It was.

One of the benefits of arriving at least thirty minutes before the doors open is that you can normally get a good position in front of the stage. So I found myself less than an arm's length away from Carrie as the concert began. That didn't last long, as I let some short people go in front of me after the first song, but it was cool nonetheless.

They were absolutely fantastic. Playing most of their new album and a selection of old songs (sadly neglecting 'The Hot Rock', but they played 'I Want To Be Your Joey Ramone', so all is forgiven), they were even more energetic in person than on their records. Carrie was a Rock 'n' Roll God, pulling off poses that make Paul Simonon look tame in comparison, and dancing across the stage with a horizontal moon-walk (while staying playing the guitar, naturally). Corin was slightly more restrained, but just as irresistible. And then there was Janet. She was fabulous, ranging from the controlled precision of 'One Beat', to her showcase wild drum solo towards the end of the set.

They finished with a blistering version of 'Step Aside' that had everybody (and I mean everybody) dancing to the Motown-tinged beat. Of course, they came back for an encore, finally ending with 'Little Babies' and a roof-raising 'Dig Me Out'.

Sleater-Kinney are probably one of the best bands on the planet today. But you won't find them on the cover of Rolling Stone, or the NME, despite the critical acclaim that they have received on the past few years. They'll never be hyped as much as The Strokes. Partly, this is down to them sticking to the independent record label KillRockStars rather than moving to a major (unlike certain bands), but I can't help feeling that the a major part of this is the 's are icky' factor. So they remain one of rock's best kept secrets.

I'm still partially deaf in one ear. Every bone in my body aches. But Carrie winked at me. I wouldn't have it any other way.

UPDATE: Pictures (a few, anyway) here