September 28, 2000

Park West, Chicago

[b]'The Menace'[/b] may have underperformed, but [b]Justine[/b] and co certainly don't after a lengthy absence from the [b]US[/b]...

Justine Frischmann has one word for the fan who requests 'Parklife' tonight at Park West in Chicago.

"Oi!" she reprimands, before continuing her own band's material. Coolly dismissing love stories and other past glories seems to be the theme for Justine tonight.

Professing to be sick of it, Elastica's big US hit - 'Connection' - needs no introduction. Justine doesn't use the word in the chorus either, substituting "bollocks" instead.

But if the revamped Elastica are sick of songs from their first incarnation, it doesn't show. The sextet deliver crunching versions of 'Vaseline' and 'Waking Up'. Equally well-received are covers such as Wire's '12XU' (with Bez-zette keyboardist Mew on vocals), and newer material from 'The Menace', an album that has made little impact in the US, even despite their version of Trio's 'Da Da Da'.

"This is a song we covered that we thought was really obscure," Justine claims before launching into it. "Then we came to America and found out it was a Volkswagen ad. We didn't know, honestly."

Towards the end of the hour-long performance, Justine apologises for the band's long absence from America.

"Sorry we took so long, but I really needed some time off," she says.

America replies, "Come back soon."

Until then, Chicago is left to ponder the two great mysteries of Elastica in 2000: 1) How does Justine keep her pants hanging so low without dropping them completely when she jumps around the stage? And 2) If Mew can't sing the backing vocals on 'Stutter', just what is she supposed to be doing up there?

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