Lust In The Movies: The Raveonettes

Sune Rose Wagner is a pretty insouciant character. Not surprising really – last year he accepted death. When a Hawaiian holiday went wrong, there looked to be no way back. “I was surfing, but I can’t really surf. My board almost knocked me out; I was stranded for half an hour, nobody could see me. I just let go, I felt very warm and calm. I wasn’t afraid.” Thankfully for him, and for devotees of his band’s inimitable brand of garage-pop, some fortuitously-placed coral reef intervened. A few months on, The Raveonettes have returned with a new album. It’s no wonder the pressures of a hectic touring schedule seem a rather minuscule grievance. Gigwise has found a genuinely humble rock star.

Don’t confuse this humility with contentment though. New album ‘Lust Lust Lust’ is the result of a brooding, self-examination for Sune, its sole songwriter. As the title suggests, it deals with issues of relationships. “It’s primarily based on personal experiences,” he admits. “It’s a reflection of my life in New York City.” As he glances around at the stuffy underground changing room we’re sitting in, it’s clear he’s a long way from home. The cosmopolitanism of The Big Apple can be heard in the variety of influences and styles The Raveonettes utilise. But so can a more sinister side; the paranoia of frenzied city life, the claustrophobia that can destroy relationships. Sune remarks: “Sometimes I wonder, is it natural for a man and a woman to spend their entire life together?”

This gives away his need for solitude. “I never write when I’m on tour. I can’t write unless I’m alone, all my ideas go away when I’m with other people.” Does this explain the lack of songwriting involvement for Sharin Foo, The Raveonettes' demure female singer/guitarist? “I tried writing with Sharin; we went away to a winery to write together. But I just froze…..She’s happy that I write the songs, it’s always been that way.” The personal feel of tracks such as ‘Blush’ and ‘Black Satin’ – Sune’s ode to his near-death experience – is rooted in Sune’s insular but prolific songwriting style.

While Sune lives in New York, Sharin, his fellow Dane, resides nearly 3000 miles away in Los Angeles. He ponders the make-up of The Raveonettes. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like a band as we’re often apart. Yet we always seem to be doing something together.” Onstage, the duo is a much clearer partnership. When thinking of boy-girl two-pieces in modern rock, The White Stripes immediately spring to mind. The musical make-up of that pairing mirrors The Raveonettes in that the male is the songwriter and driving force behind the sound. But live, the connection between the two bands ends. Whereas Jack White dominates, a virtuoso performer, Sune and Sharin are grounded in parity, as their harmonious singing and sparring guitars illustrate. “We never even talk about it,” assures a perplexed-looking Sune. “It’s just natural.”

Sharin brings luscious vocals and a carefree stage presence to the band, complimenting Sune’s reserved manner in front of a crowd. But they aren’t born entertainers, believing the intricacy of the music they create is enough to enrapture their audiences. “We just got off a tour with The Cribs, they were really cool guys. They play with such energy, just go crazy. I was like, ‘Why don’t we have that?’ But we have a different style; still intense, just different.”