Life Size Dolls - The Dresden Dolls

The music industry has just about got over the 'are they, aren’t they’ intrigue of ex-spouses Jack and Meg White, and now it is faced with another mysterious musical partnership. Although Amanda Palmer (vox, piano) and Brian Viglione (drums) of The Dresden Dolls don’t share a surname, they do share a garishly beautiful charisma, an enchanting cabaret performance style, and a love of dressing up.

The Dresden Dolls have already sent Boston into a state of rapturous excitement, and by the looks of their Roskilde performance they are set to turn European music industry inside out. Their music, their appearance- life size dolls, complete with doll-style clothes and make-up- and their self-assured manner, all exude the aroma of limitless possibility. “Meeting each other was possibly the most all round fulfilling thing. We fill all of each other’s gaps, physically and creatively,” says Brian.

It's easy to see the overwhelming magnetism between the pair, but he insists their creative partnership stretches only as far as a "deep friendship". They met at a house party at Amanda’s on Halloween 2000, a fitting turn of events for a pair whose costume and theatrical role-playing on stage is as important as the extraordinary music they play, as Brian muses: “Theatre’s always appealed to us. It’s a form of expression, based around mine and Amanda’s lives.”

Onstage, Brian moves his limbs and drumsticks with exaggerated gestures, in synchrony with Amanda’s powerful, tragic-comic vocals. During ironic antidote to female despair, ‘Coin-Operated Boy’, the gothic pantomime reaches its peak, with Brian’s clockwork body movements giving a visible dimension to the story. But The Dresden Dolls don’t just rely on performance art to capture their audience. The music, lunging between rock ‘n roll, punk and wry observational songwriting, mirrors, complements and finally exceeds the image. The music is bold, unafraid to completely bypass boundaries set by modern trends. Amanda’s piano style is seductive and thunderous. Brian’s drums clutch dramatically at every beat and capture every mood.

As the two sign autographs and shake hands with fans outside the Pavilion, there's a distinct sense of devotion from those queuing patiently to meet them. Some are dressed in doll costume nearly identical to those worn by the duo themselves. One fan asks Brian to sign his arm, another shyly poses with Amanda for a photograph. All gush their thanks for a great performance, one darkly dressed boy listing each place to which he has traveled to see his heroes, “Thanks for Paris, thanks for London, thanks for Spain.” Thankfully both Brian and Amanda are grateful, and gracious, to their awe-struck network of devotees. “We’ve always had a really loyal fan base, and we’re always happy to meet them,” states Brian.

The band are due to record their next album in September, for release next spring. It promises to be "a lot more rock, and a little less inhibited." They stress the importance of not pigeon-holing themselves into any set sound group, something which is evident through the criss-cross of genres involved in their performance. “We’re a new band and we’re trying to gain exposure. As things grow, you learn how you want to sculpt your career”, says Brian. “We never feel trapped in a specific role. Hopefully we can incorporate everything into the music.”

Luckily for good old Blighty, The Dresden Dolls are eager to break into the British scene, having played gigs in Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool the past few months. Amanda smiles as she remembers the Liverpool crowd, “The people there are completely mad! We enjoyed that. They’re almost as mad as the audience here at Roskilde.” At Glastonbury Brian felt that there was "too much exertion", and consequently spent most of his time up at the stone circle. “That’s where all the happy freaks go” he explains.

With regards to Roskilde, like many bands the Dolls see it as a special experience, and to some extent a mark of success. "This one has the best atmosphere of all the festivals,” Amanda says. Brian adds, “You don’t get any of the ‘rock n roll’ pushing and shoving here that you do at most. I think festivals that are purely concentrated around the music are less relaxed... Wireless festival was boring and corporate, but here there’s love in the air- you can see that people are happy to be here.” 

Before he rushes off to meet more fans, Brian turns and bows, tilting his top hat, still performing. An encore is definitely in order.