A unique blend of Eastern European Gypsy, Mariachi, and indie rock with beautiful vocals and a mini- burlesque show
Since discovering them on the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack (which I now realize was almost five years ago), I’ve been consistently impressed by DeVotchKa, in both their studio releases and live performances. The four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble fuses Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero, and Mariachi music with American rock and folk roots to produce a sound which few other groups can compare. This show, almost unfortunately, wasn’t sold out. I’m consistently surprised that DeVotchKa hasn’t developed more of a following. A Tuesday night in late March at the 9:30 Club would be my second time seeing them at my standard venue and my third time overall (other time was with David Byrne at Wolftrap). Having seen them previously, I was anticipating a good show and looking forward to hearing both old staples as well as live versions of songs from their newest album, 100 Lovers, released earlier in the month.
It was arguably my favorite of any of their performances that I’ve seen, which is remarkable since often second and third performances don’t stack up to the first. Perhaps it had something to do with lead vocalist Nick Urata. For some reason, perhaps the mood I was in, the place I was standing, or the effects that were chosen, the clear highlight of the evening was his enchanting singing. His powerful yet haunting voice sounded amazing as it carried through the small club as he savored each note. His voice was incredible, just incredible. It’s been some time since I’ve been so impressed in a vocal performance, although it probably didn’t hurt Nick’s chances that I was so disappointed with Shane MacGowan’s drunken stammering at the Pogues show the previous week.
The story I’ve heard is that DeVotchKa got their start playing as a backing band to burlesque acts. So another aspect worth mentioning is that they still incorporate some of these elements into their live performances. The last time that I saw them, an area in the audience was cleared so a female acrobat could propel herself up and down a ribbon/cloth/rope during their encore. This time around, they upped the ante a bit, with a pair of acrobats performing throughout the show, including the aforementioned highwire acrobatics as well as some more grounded sensual dancing and rhythmic gymnastics. The whole thing added a fun and unique layer to the performance. Top notch all around.
Approximate Setlist:
The Alley
Head Honcho
Queen of the Surface Streets
Poland
The Clockwise Witness
The Man from San Sebastian
We're Leaving
Vengo! Vengo!
Exhaustible
All the Sand in all the Sea
How It Ends
Basso Profundo
Undone
Contrabanda
I Cried Like A Silly Boy
100 Other Lovers
The Enemy Guns
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
You Love Me
Such a Lovely Thing
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