Sonic Youth (US)
Thursday 07 august. Scene: Enga
In August, the eternally young and always current Sonic Youth will return to the Medieval Park and the Øya Festival. This legendary New York band hasn’t visited Oslo too often (1992 and at Øya in 2005), but now you’ll get a new opportunity to experience these indie pioneers live in heart of the Norwegian capital. Since the start back in the 80s, they’ve explored the soundscape spanning between the noisy and the melodious, with Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, and Kim Gordon in front. During their last visit, we also got to see Ranaldo solo and Moore as part of the trio Diskaholics Anonymous. In addition, they made guest appearances with The Thing and Dinosaur JR. Since then, Sonic Youth have released the album
‘Rather Ripped’ (2006), and several narrow releases are currently in the works. Throughout the years, the band has always been unpredictable, and they’ve maintained complete artistic control, even when signed to large record companies, and even though albums sometimes have climbed significantly on American charts.
Sonic Youth were a part of the so-called no wave scene in New York, drawing inspiration from underground heroes such as Glenn Branca (who several of the band members played with in the beginning), The Stooges, Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, John Cage, Television, and Captain Beefheart. They soon came up with their own musical ideas and were led by a curiosity that still makes them one of the most exciting American bands to this day. After a few years, the line-up stabilized, with drummer Steve Shelley firmly placed behind Ranaldo, Moore, and Gordon. Their long career is filled with highlights, both classics, such as ‘Evol’, ‘Sister’, ‘Daydream Nation’, ‘Goo’, and ‘Dirty’, as well as newer releases, like ‘Murray Street’ and ‘Sonic Nurse’. For a period of time this decade, Jim O’Rourke came aboard as a fifth member, but has now left. At times, Sonic Youth is marked by a clear pop nerve, other times by savagery and an almost uncontrollable energy. Often, the band is like a surprising and impressive rendezvous between psychedelia, punk, and contemporary music. It is no secret that today’s indie scene would have been quite different without the influence from Sonic Youth. Apart from their main base, the members have been active in bands like Ciccone Youth, Dim Stars, and Free Kitten.
We can’t make any promises as to what you’ll get to hear during their gig in the Medieval Park, but we can guarantee that you’ll encounter a vital and energetic band that has a thing or two to teach the world about uncompromising rock and walls of guitar noise. Seeing Sonic Youth live is always a new experience, as one gig rarely resembles another.
