The Courettes - New LP "We Are The Courettes" & Live at Weirdsville with Oh! Gunquit

The Courettes at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Hot on the heels of the recent bonus mid-week Weirdsville featuring The Schizophonics came another knockout show courtesy of Mr A & Alex. This time round it was The Courettes, the Brazilian girl/Danish boy duo who were over here promoting their excellent new LP "We Are The Courettes" which is out now on Sounds of Subterrania Records. The band had the unenviable task of following the night's opening act Oh! Gunquit who were on fire, treating us to a powerful all-action set of their unique blend of Voodoo rhythms, Garage Rock rumblings and Surf shenanigans – all topped off by Trumpet, Sax and Hula Hoops! They were the perfect start to another great Weirdsville night.

Oh! Gunquit at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Oh! Gunquit at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

So, The Courettes certainly had a tough act to follow especially as there was just the two of them. Martin Couri’s drum kit was set up right at the front of the stage next to his wife and partner in crime, guitarist/vocalist Flavia Couri and after a couple of songs, they certainly banished my fears of how they would cope after Oh! Gunquit. They were simply superb. Martin was a blur of thrashing arms as he pounded around his drum kit, often bashing the floor tom with maracas or tambourine for added percussion. Flavia is a stunning front-woman with her shock of jet black hair and Vox Phantom guitar. When she was not singing or flinging her guitar around she was leaping into the crowd or kneeling down in front of her amp, coaxing out screams of feedback.

The Courettes at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Courettes at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

I was talking to Mr A about how good the band were recently and he described them as 'Bubble-gum Garage Pop' so I told him I would nick that comment for my review (thank you!) as it kind of sums them up perfectly. They take the melodies of The Shangri-La's and crank them into timeless fuzzed up three-minute classics. In particular, more familar songs such as "I’ve Been Walking" and "The Boy I Love" from their 2015 debut mini-album "Here Are The Courettes" are delightful slices of Ronettes meets Ramones pure pop perfection. The new songs are catching up fast though, growing on you immediately from the very first chord, in particular the melodic "Time Is Ticking" is something that sticks in your head for days. "T-C-H-A-U" is an adrenaline-fuelled 100 miles per hour stormer and another of the nights highlights was "Boom! Dynamite!" which proved a great example of singalong audience participation. "All About You" is a catchy melodic delight with some great backing vocals from Martin. "Strawberry Boy" slows the pace for a minute only to highlight a beautiful heartful vocal from Flavia which shows a real soulful side to the band.

The Courettes at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Courettes at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

They are joined by a saxophonist for the encore "Voodoo Doll" and this adds a great dimension to the sound. The Courettes also have a cool 'look' and Mr A was telling me that the band design all the covers and artwork themselves. They have everything off to a tee starting off with their super cool tour van right down to Flavia’s black leather jacket with the Courettes' logo on the back. Their videos and record covers all have an immediately familiar look and the merch table at the gig is bulging with an array of goodies including vinyl LP's, CD's, plectrums, badges, T-Shirts and even stick-on Martin Couri sideburns! All items are beautifully designed, packaged and presented. However, like the Schizophonics and Oh! Gunquit, The Courettes can certainly back up their strong visual concept and exhilarating live performance with some mighty fine songs. Go buy their new LP now and you'll see exactly what I mean...

The Courettes at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

You can order the "We Are The Courettes" LP from the band’s web site here or it is also available via Rough Trade in the UK. The next Weirdsville promises to be another cracker with Les Kitschenette’s and The Voo-Dooms on Saturday September 29th. We’ll be featuring The Courettes in our next episode of Retrosonic Podcast. For more photos of the gig please check out the Retro Man Blog Facebook page here and we also have videos at our YouTube channel here.