Thursday 24/03/05 The Raveonettes, Dogs (The Jim Beam Music Tour 2005) @ Academy, Liverpool

After being distracted by a Jim Beam promoter giving away free whiskey (and missing two support acts in the process!), it’s high time to get out of the dingy old bar and pay attention to the real reason everyone’s here: Dogs, and The Raveonettes.

So… Dogs.  Drummer Rich Mitchell believes – and I quote – “it’s all about the ****ing music, man” (hehe) …and tonight Matthew, it certainly is!  Performing with an infectious enthusiasm, Dogs take over the stage with boundless energy.  Rikki and Luciano thrash around in a guitar-playing frenzy, and Johnny glares unrelentingly while he sings, as though their songs are the only outlet for some kind of pent up rage he has inside him.

The crowd are loving it!  People all over the place are dancing – and not just your average head-nodding or jumping up and down, but moves even Justin Timberlake would be proud to pull.  Support act, DJs Queens of Noize are at the centre of all the action.  It seems the Dogs’ music makes them just want to run around going crazy.  How sweet.  Rikki notices the girls’ commendable moves and gives them a cheeky smile before becoming passionately engrossed in his guitar again.

Unsurprisingly, ‘She’s Got A Reason’ gains most appreciation, but Johnny and the crews’ on-stage antics and god-damn catchy choruses captivate the audience throughout the set.  Their sound and style reveal punk influences such as The Clash and The Police, as well as a load of others like The Jam and The Who.  Dogs possess a raw energy and passionate aggression that is both infective - and impressive.

Looking dark and moody, Danish duo The Raveonettes strut onto the stage with an effortlessly cool approach.  Sharin and Sune’s heavy bluesy sound changes the tone immediately, and we all listen in awe to their dark lyrics and fuzzy guitar sounds, wondering when Sune will finally realise that he needs to do something (-anything!) with his hair (…well, ok, maybe that was just me).

The Raveonettes envelop us in a wall of sound created by distortion, feedback, and – for some God forsaken reason – a tambourine (…but really, why have people decided that tambourines are cool?  Think primary school music lessons -that’s what they were made for, and that really is where they should remain!).

Treating us to dark and basic rock’n’roll at its finest, they play the greatest songs from 'Whip It On' and 'Chain Gang of Love', and add in a whole load of amazing new material from their new album 'Pretty In Black'. The stunningly beautiful Sharin and odd-looking (yet mysteriously cool) Sune command attention throughout. But what makes tonight great is that their new material is even better than the old stuff… It seems The Raveonettes just get better and better… and we love it.