POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Drama Is Lacking at Carter Etc. Palace Show

Imagine the Pet Shop Boys paying homage to Andrew Lloyd Weber. That’s more or less the territory of London duo Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, whose records mix campy wit, cutting insight, grandiose melodrama and sheer musical inventiveness.

It’s just the kind of thing that not only would support but also virtually demands Lloyd Weber-like excess in a live presentation. Unfortunately what should have been over-the-top was instead a bit underwhelming Saturday at the Palace.

The pair, using the names Fruitbat and Jim Bob, merely played their songs, strumming electric guitars while the rest of the lavish music played on recorded tracks. While the frantic energy swept up the small crowd, it also steamrolled right over both the lyrical subtleties and musical dynamics found on Carter’s three albums, especially on several recent songs dealing with life in the age of AIDS.

Curiously, the most promising moments came in encores of other peoples’ songs--a nearly punk version of the Smiths’ “Panic” and a purposely plodding take on Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” Those hinted at a flair for drama that might flower someday in a real production.