Concert Review: Tennis Turns Bowery Ballroom Into Studio 54
Tennis might be my new favorite band. Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore have created 70’s synth-pop that makes you dream like your life is a vinyl waiting to be played. As their music transformed Bowery Ballroom into Studio 54, I realized what is and will continue making Tennis a success is that seem more than just music; they sell a style.
Alaina Moore is a magnet on stage, which is NOT easy for a woman singing behind a keyboard. I have mentioned this difficulty before in previous reviews, but think about it. When you go see a band, rarely, does anyone say, “Wow. That keyboardist stole the show!”; it is a cruel reality. Yet, it is understandable because having to stand out with a huge rectangle in front of you even sounds like a barrier. Thus, I grew admiration for Ms.Moore who, admittedly, said she is a quiet, shy personality. Yet, like most shy persons, the arts/music creates a domain where you can be who you want to be, which that night, Moore wanted to be a star. She has a voice that is soft like a lullaby but potent like a dream. So often, we think belting is the only way to make vocals/ lyrics powerful and piercing, but a smooth, gentle voice, like Moore’s, oozing words with love can have the same affect. Moreover, she has a glow to her that emanates as she plays her keys and sways to her songs to prove a feeling can move a body.
Tennis – In The Morning I’ll Be Better (Official Video)
In The Morning I’ll Be Better
Playing songs from their newest album, Yours Conditionally, the night felt like a grand homage to the tenderness of love. This virtue gives you a uniquely intoxicating vulnerability in making you want someone to help you heal and strengthen yourself. Sure, we all wish we were stronger, better people, but Tennis sings to the persons that come into your life and actually inspire the your will to be better. While on record their folkish vibe leaps, in show, it is their electro-disco inspiration that stirs how danceable their songs are. In addition, Alaina Moore sounds like a folk singer from the classic 70′, on album, but in concert, she resonates with 90’s indie-pop singers like No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani and Garbage’s Shirley Mason. As these leading ladies, she vocally/ spiritually teeters between the naivety and affirming nature of love, by adding a childlike innocence to how she annunciates certain words to elaborate a relationships ‘ wonder. Still, as mentioned, what makes Tennis such an attracting duo is that they sell a style.
My Emotions Are Blinding (Audio)
My Emotions Are Blinding
Tennis’ image of 70’s glamour and glitz enraptured the audience that, for being born way after the 70’s, oddly longed for the era. This moment in time is known for “free love” and “free living”, and, in these current days, those are two things we very much desire and need. Thus, what makes their concert stand out is that you are not only paying to hear them live, but also to live in their world, which includes big hair, glittered shirts, pink-hued lighting, and buckets of imagination. For More Information On Tennis Click Here.
