Purity Ring Live Review

Purity Ring Live Review & Concert Photos | The Ritz Ybor, Tampa | September 10, 2015

by • September 22, 2015

Electricity dripped from the bulbs on the Ritz Ybor stage and surged into the crowd as Purity Ring unleashed a bewitching performance. For a solid hour, my cluster of friends and I danced in an enraptured state, moving however Megan James and Corin Roddick willed us.

James appeared in a haze of fog machines and twinkling bulbs that we dreamed to use as decor for our apartments. The minute that the first dreamy waves hit the air, I realized that I wasn’t going to stop moving for the next hour — my clumsy Peanuts dance moves were revealed, all thanks to Purity Ring’s irresistible beats.

For weeks leading up to the Tampa performance, my friends had peppered me with questions of if I would be checking out the Canadian duo. A few seconds into my first listen of “Fineshrine,” and I was hooked.

With a Purity Ring performance, you get more than a DJ cooped behind a booth, toggling buttons in time with a light show. Roddick’s tree of Sims-like gems changed colors in time with the rhythm as an ultimate percussion impression. There’s nothing quite like playing the gems, right?

The Ritz erupted the moment the first rings of “Bodyache” echoed through the venue. James flitted back and forth with sweeping, seemingly angelic motions. Except one thought wasn’t so much — she pointed out the yonic features of the Ritz’s flowery ceiling (and she wasn’t entirely wrong).

I felt my “Heartsigh” in every beat drop and building stomp. Purity Ring songs create the feelings that their song titles suggest: a push and pull, a flood on the floor, begin again. It’s everything a fan expects, and more. With every riveting release of synth pop magic, I begged for the set to never end.

“Most people come in and expect an encore… well this is our last song and so that’s the encore,” James said with a perky smile and shrug. “Well, damn.” In spite of James’ proclamation, there was still that half-hearted cry for an encore when the lights came up.

The stage was difficult to see amid smartphones Facetime-ing friends, Snapchats, and the lingering fog induced by the excessive use of vape pens, I wonder if they were using Vapeboss liquids? I can’t blame them if so. The Ritz could save some money on fog machines by employing the e-cigarette enthusiasts to stand in front.

But the hush fell the moment opener HANA stepped on stage. Slinking across the stage, the “Clay” performer held all eyes as she smacked her own percussion, set her own synthesizers, and collected our swoons with enticing vocals.

Her cover of Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain Again” brought bewitching, trance-like energy to the 80s pop hit. With only the aid of glowing umbrellas, HANA paced in time with her own sweeping presence. Her gliding movements and silk-like voice are just an indication of the talent in the trance-pop scene, which is something I had long forgotten.

It’s undeniable — the electro pop goddesses of the evening made me a believer in electronic energy once more. I’ll be first in line the next time these performers sweep through Tampa Bay.

Purity Ring Live Review by Amanda Starling, edited by Matthew Weller.

Purity Ring Photos by Brian Schanck.

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