On Friday (December 5), Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Lee Ronaldo and Steve Shelley played together in New York – their first performance together since 2011.
The band is (almost) complete again
The event was originally announced as a duo show between guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo. Drummer Steve Shelley joined them unexpectedly, providing rhythmic support for the two on stage. The trio presented an extended, improvised noise set that rocked from rumbling sounds to an intense, chaotic climax of guitars and cymbals.
Fan recordings of the performance show the apparently still good chemistry between the musicians. In the New York club The Stone they jammed their way through the evening, even if they weren’t quite there.
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Sonic Youth reunion “always on the table”
Moore, who released his solo album “Flow Critical Lucidity” in September, previously caused a stir with his solo performances at the same club, despite reports of his “debilitating” health. There he was on stage with the musicians Fred Frith and Wobbly.
In a recent interview, Moore told the New York Times that his prognosis was “very good.” He also revealed that a full Sonic Youth reunion is “always on the table.”
Kim Gordon, bassist and singer of the band, was not present at the performance in New York. She already had another date that same evening: In Los Angeles, she covered the Stooges classic “I Wanna Be Your Dog” with Dinosaur Jr.