Six years in the life of a pop group is enough time for your fanbase to age up into a whole new demographic. That’s how long it’s been since Aussie duo the Veronicas last released an album, an unplanned furlough caused by record company futzing over their musical direction. Now, twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso are back with a new label, an imminent, eponymous third record and an eye-catching new image.
It’s testament to the attractiveness of their four-piece band that when the Origliassos take to the stage in sleeveless black latex catsuits, it seems to be part of a collective look. Their fierce drummer, stripped to the waist and bulging with muscles, resembles a cage fighter, penned in by a transparent drum screen. The predominantly young, female crowd seem appreciative, and even the parental chaperones stationed at the back of the venue look impressed.
If this is phase two of the Veronicas, it feints toward swampy, blues-influenced trip-hop with the doomy Sanctified, which sounds like it could be the theme to an edgy cable TV show. But the new tracks are generally more of a grab bag: the lurching melodies of Line of Fire recall Moloko, while the one-note guitar riff and candied production of Teenage Millionaire tip a wink to Katy Perry.
The Origliassos have an undeniable stage presence, rehearsed but not robotic. Shoutouts to the fans who stuck with them during their limbo seem heartfelt, and are repaid by enthusiastic reactions to older songs such as Everything I’m Not and their Max Martin-produced breakthrough hit 4Ever. The crowd also go bananas for Untouched, a lickety-split banger built on the sort of isolated string break more commonly associated with 24-hour news-channel idents. A rather sappy encore of If You Love Someone aside, the older, cannier Veronicas seem a credible threat. Better latex than never.
• At Academy 2, Manchester on 8 March. Box office: 0161-275 2930; at Brighton Concorde 2(01273 673311) on 10 March; and at Heaven, London (0844 847 2351), on 11 March.
