popwreckoning

I’m getting just a little peeved with the Washington Post. It seems like whenever I’ve found a little-known band on my own and think going to a little club to see said band is going to be a relaxing, laid-back night, the paper finds out about the gig and proceeds to do a big write-up on the band, calling the gig a best bet for the weekend. Inevitably, whatever the gig, the venue will sell out in record time and I’m forced to stand uncomfortably squeezed in among people who’ve just heard about the band that very week because they read about it in the Post. This is exactly what happened Friday night when I went to Iota, a small club connected to a cafe in Arlington, Virginia, just over the river from Washington D.C. Thankfully, this time the band in question was London-based folk pop band Fanfarlo, so at least I didn’t have to worry about any overzealous moshers or serious drunks. And in hindsight I’m glad the gig sold out, because the band’s performance was breathtaking and so many people got to see the band’s artistry firsthand.

Fanfarlo is led by Swedish musician Simon Balthazar (guitar/clarinet), who sings lead vocals alongside with the sweet harmonies of Cathy Lucas (violin / mandolin / and a whole bunch others). They’ve been compared to the Arcade Fire, which I suppose is the lazy journalist’s easy choice for comparison because of the strong pairing of male/female vocals. Leon Beckenham (trumpet / keyboards / glockenspiel), Justin Finch (bass) and Amos Memon (drums) complete their talented line-up. They released Reservoir, their debut album, earlier this year.

If you’re wondering where their band name came from, it was taken from a novella written in 1847 by French poet Charles Baudelaire called La Fanfarlo. But should you be put off by the tres chic name, please know that they make decidedly unpretentious beautiful folk pop. They started their set at Iota with just three of their members – Balthazar, Lucas, and Memon – to play “Drowning Men.” Their slower songs like “Comets” (with the smooth-as-silk chorus of “we’ll tear it down / we’ll hold the truth / by the neck / oh, by the neck / kick in the doors / and burn the books / try to forget / try to forget“) and “I’m a Pilot” are dreamy and gorgeous played live with the unique collection of instruments being played alongside Balthazar and Lucas’s voices; the two of them are tied with the xx in my mind for the most gorgeous boy/girl paired voices heard this year.

But speeding things up on songs like the verbosely-titled “Harold T. Wilkins, or How to Wait for a Very Long Time” or the fun “Luna”, with its driving drum beats augmented by Balthazar ditching his guitars to beat on a single drum, showed that they can do much more than ballads and do so in an engaging way. Check out an acoustic version of this song they filmed in a friend’s back garden this past June.

In addition to tracks from Reservoir, we also got a sneak peek into their next release in two new songs, “Atlas” and “Waiting in the Wings.” When the band left the stage following “Luna” (the last song on their printed set list), it was unclear whether they’d return. Following audience cheers for more songs, the band came back for an encore of “Ghosts,” which was as haunting as the title suggests. While being haunted is usually a bad thing, I like to think the entire Iota audience that night were entranced by this London band and their brand of bewitching folk pop.

Three dates are left on Fanfarlo‘s North American tour before they head back to London for the holidays. Please note: the two Canadian dates (Toronto on December 15 and Montreal on December 16) on their original schedule have been canceled due to Balthazar’s passport and Canadian visa getting stolen when their van was broken into during a stop in Portland last week. The band are scheduled to go on tour again in the UK in early 2010 with another great band from the London folk scene, Mumford and Sons.

Set List:
Drowning Men
I’m a Pilot
Finish Line
Harold T. Wilkins, or How to Wait for a Very Long Time
Atlas
The Walls are Coming Down
Waiting in the Wings
Comets
Luna
//
Ghosts

Tour Dates:
Dec 14 – Majestic Cafe / Detroit*
Dec 17 – T.T. The Bear’s / Boston*
Dec 18 – Webster Hall / New York City*
* with Freelance Whales

Fanfarlo: website | myspace
Freelance Whales: myspace

The backstory of London, England’s the Big Pink is, shall we say, quite interesting. Robbie Furze (vocals/guitar) and Milo Cordell (programming/keyboards/synthesizer/vocals) first joined up to run a record label called Hatechannel. At the end of 2007, they got to the point where they wanted to make some noise of their own and see where it would lead. They’ve admitted that they originally wanted to be “the digital Velvet Underground” and “more Phil Spector than My Bloody Valentine“; these descriptions may give you some indication of what they sound like if you’ve never heard a tune of theirs. But their foundations in loving the Band (whose first album provided the band’s name – Furze’s parents were huge fans of Robbie Robertson‘s group) and soul legends like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding should not be dismissed. In fact, the duo now say they are more of a “soul band” than anything else; they are quick to dismiss the lazy “shoegaze” label that was applied to them almost immediately when they first appeared on the British music scene. They appeared at the Black Cat Saturday night with Long Beach indie rock band Crystal Antlers.

Because of the freak D.C. area snowstorm earlier and the deathly cold temperatures, I wasn’t sure how many people would actually be in attendance. Before the Friendly Fires / the xx show at the Paradise in Boston the night before, I chatted with some fellow English music fans who said the crowd for the Big Pink at that venue earlier in the week was small (around 100 people). So I wasn’t sure if Washington would make a good showing. When my friend and I arrived in our winter coats and stepped on the main stage floor at 10, my worries disappeared as I saw the crowd that had assembled and ready to receive the opening band (which, in my experience, isn’t always the case at a local show). Phew.

Crystal Antlers launched into a set of psychedelic but raucous numbers. The first question that came to mind when they started playing: do you like Procol Harum? (Their classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale” should jog your memory, if you ever listen to compilations with names like Songs of the Sixties.) If yes, you will like what organ player Cora Foxx brings to the table. Jonny Bell, the band’s singer/bassist, has a shouty style of vocal delivery that didn’t impress me much, but the audience was receptive and overall approved of the band’s sound, especially when they went for it, guitars flying and percussion crashing (drums by Kevin Stuart and all manners of other percussion by a very lively Damian Edwards). A good example of their style was “Tentacles,” the title track off their 2009 debut album.

When the crew began setting up the stage for the Big Pink, I spied strobe lights, big and small, being hauled out and carefully arranged. The last time I’d seen anything like it at the Cat was for White Lies last winter. In a ridiculous way, the Big Pink’s lights and fog far surpassed that of White Lies’s set-up in March. I think both the lights and fog detracted from the fantastic, but brief performance they put on for us. Furze stood center stage in a black muscle tank – note emphasis on the muscle. The boy is ripped. He was also sporting a Metallica tattoo on his right arm and multiple gold necklaces (with key pendants) around his neck that looked like they were stolen from the stylist’s trunk of the xx. Cordell stood behind his synthesizer, wearing a hoodie and looking completely content to let Furze take the limelight.

Live, Cordell and Furze are augmented by Leopold Ross (bass) and Akiko Matsuura (drums/vocals). One of the best moments of the night was when Furze and Ross went balls to the wall with their guitars, like in “At War with the Sun,” balanced oh so well with the wistful refrain of “Young hearts know nothing but say it all / celebrate no control / but it is enough to realize / and miss us when we’re gone / live for the words that we sung / and don’t let go.” Breathtaking. Furze slowed things down a bit with a cover of Otis Redding‘s “These Arms of Mine,” which showcased his amazing voice. The Big Pink’s far too brief set was punctuated by their latest single, the almost celebratory “Dominos,” fists a-flying in the crowd to the band’s rhythms. Bloody fantastic. Following the 2010 Shockwaves NME Awards Tour in the UK in February, the band will return to North America next year for a March-April tour – I highly recommend seeing them before they start filling bigger venues.

The Big Pink Set List:
Too Young to Love
Frisk
At War with the Sun
Velvet
Crystal Visions
Count Backwards to Ten
Tonight
These Arms of Mine (Otis Redding cover)
Dominos

Tour Dates:
Mar 10 – Great American Music Hall / San Francisco*
Mar 12 – Neumo’s / Seattle*
Mar 13 – Venue / Vancouver*
Mar 14 – Doug Fir / Portland*
Mar 18 – First Ave / Minneapolis*
Mar 19 – Turner Hall / Madison, WI*
Mar 20 – Metro / Chicago*
Mar 22 – Southgate House / Newport, KY*
Mar 23 – Grog Shop / Cleveland*
Mar 24 – Mod Club / Toronto*
Mar 26 – Cabaret / Montreal*
Mar 27 – Paradise / Boston*
Mar 28 – Maxwell’s / Hoboken*
Mar 30 – Webster Hall / New York City*
Mar 31 – Theatre of Living Arts / Philadelphia*
Apr 01 – Rams Head Live / Baltimore*
Apr 02 – Cat’s Cradle / Chapel Hill, NC*
Apr 03 – Masquerade / Atlanta*
Apr 05 – Club Downunder / Tallahassee*
Apr 07 – Warehouse Live Studio / Houston*
Apr 08 – Parish / Austin*
Apr 09 – Granada / Dallas*
Apr 10 – Bottleneck / Lawrence, KS*
Apr 11 – Bluebird / Denver*
Apr 12 – Urban Lounge / Salt Lake City*
Apr 14 – Rhythm Room / Phoenix*
Apr 15 – Casbah / San Diego*
* with A Place to Bury Strangers

The Big Pink: website | myspace
Crystal Antlers: myspace

Since I was already scheduled to be in Boston for the second-to-last date of the Nylon Magazine Winter Music Tour, finding out that the xx would be doing an in-store performance earlier on the same day was just icing on the cake. I had gone to pick up my wristband for the event early Friday morning. When I asked the clerk on duty how many wristbands were left, she gave me this “are you out of your mind?” look, saying, “we just started giving wristbands out half an hour ago. We have plenty.” This gave me what turned out to be a false sense of security (figuring that maybe, just maybe not too many people in Boston knew who the xx were), so my friend and I would have plenty of time to get to the in-store at 5 and wouldn’t have any trouble having a good vantage point to take photos from.

When we arrived to line up outside the Newbury Street store at 4:30, there were at least 50 people in front of me. As quickly as the sun set and disappeared, the line on the sidewalk outside the store grew and grew until it went all the way down the block. I started chatting with other people in line, finding out that I was in the minority (being the owner of a coveted ticket to the sold-out Friendly Fires / the xx gig later on) and that many of them had shown up for the free in-store simply for a chance to see the xx. They appreciated finding out from me that the xx would return to Boston to play the Paradise again on April 2.

Five o’clock came and went, and I started to lose feeling in my feet and arms despite it being unseasonably warm for a winter evening in Boston. Someone asked staff who was monitoring the front door why we weren’t allowed in, and we were told that the band’s equipment hadn’t arrived yet. At about 5:50, the main door finally opened and fans trooped into the store. People and their winter coats were crammed into the store between the CD racks and unusual merchandise. A bit stifling.

A short while later, the xx appeared and the crowd that assembled for them cheered. They launched into the instrumental “Intro.” Unfortunately, I couldn’t see much with many taller people in front of me, but I could occasionally make out bassist Oliver Sim and electronic percussion / synth player Jamie Smith as heads bobbed up and down to the music in front of me. I was skeptical about how the band would sound in small record store, but as soon as the band started into “VCR,” I knew this was going to be one great performance.

The sparseness of the xx sound sounded gorgeous in the cramped, enclosed space. Several in the crowd shouted for “Islands,” which began beautifully with Romy Madley-Croft‘s tender voice that was later joined with Sim’s. “Crystalised,” the first song by this band that I’d ever heard, was spectacular. Interestingly, this song was left off their set list at the Paradise three hours later, so if any of my new “friends” I met at Newbury Comics that night are reading this: you got a special treat!

My impression of the crowd was that it was a mixture of fans and others who looked upon the xx as a curiosity. Either way, there was little doubt in my mind that each person left that night thinking, “Wow, I need to make sure I get a ticket when the band comes back here in April.” You can catch the band on a short headlining tour of America in March and April (touring with mysterious Swedish electronic group jj), followed by a turn as the opener for Hot Chip in late April.

Set List:
Intro
VCR
Basic Space
Islands
Crystalised
Nighttime
Infinity

Tour dates:
Mar 22 – Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge*
Mar 24 – Earl / Atlanta*
Mar 25 – Cat’s Cradle / Carrboro, NC*
Mar 28 – Sixth & I Synagogue / Washington, DC*
Mar 29 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia*
Apr 02 – Paradise / Boston*
Apr 05 – Wexner Center / Columbus*
Apr 06 – Buskirk Chumley Theater / Bloomington, IN*
Apr 19 – Riviera Theatre / Chicago%
Apr 20 – Koolhaus / Toronto%
Apr 22 – Terminal 5 / New York City%
Apr 24 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC%
* with jj
% supporting Hot Chip

The xx: website | myspace | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | @ DC9 | @ Paradise

Performance photos: Julie Stoller

The inaugural Winter Nylon Music Tour stopped by Boston’s Paradise Friday night for an absolutely, positively sold-out show. If it is humanly possible, both the headliners Friendly Fires and the opener, current darlings of the blogosphere the xx, keep getting better and better with each additional time I have the privilege of seeing them perform. Both are young bands from England, yet with all the globetrotting they’ve done this year, they’ve honed their skills so that every performance will leave you wanting more. When I heard and subsequently groaned inwardly that the Nylon tour would not be stopping by Washington, I decided a trip up north was in order.

In the case of London’s the xx, their sound is relatively simplistic, but they are extremely successful in bringing out the emotions of anyone who’s ever felt anything for someone else or perhaps more accurately, the xx make you feel you aren’t alone when you’ve lost that magical thing called love. I still can’t get over how guitarist Romy Madley-Croft and bassist Oliver Sim‘s voices, though gentle, can be so poignant and achingly beautiful, causing you the listener to feel the same yearning that exists in the heart of their songs in your bones.

This was the first time the band had ever played in Boston (not counting the in-store they played three hours earlier at Newbury Comics), and the excited crowd was certainly appreciative of their visit. They took to the stage on time at 9. The extended live version of “Basic Space,” their second single released on Young Turks in the UK in August, confused some members of the audience, some of them prematurely clapping while the band headed into an outro not on the album. “Fantasy,” starting off with Sim’s spare, scorching vocals paired with Madley-Croft’s fantastic guitar playing, was a major highlight, as was “Nighttime,” with such monstrous beats from Jamie Smith that you felt the backbeats pounding through your body.

“Infinity,” an example of serious yearning turned into an xx song, starts with guitar work that is as sensual at those in Chris Isaak‘s “Wicked Game.” But what the xx’s tune has over Isaak’s are the call and response lyrics of “I can’t give it up / to someone else’s touch / because I care too much” between Madley-Croft and Sim, punctuated by Smith’s drum machine and cymbal crashing. Talk about dramatic to the max and perfectly suited for their usual black attire and minimalist stage set-up. Be sure to catch this trio when they tour America starting in March 2010, first on a short tour of their own on the eastern half of the U.S., followed by a couple of dates opening for Hot Chip.

The xx Set List:
Intro
VCR
Basic Space
Fantasy
Shelter
Islands
Nighttime
Infinity

Like clockwork, crew set up quickly for the main event, St. Albans’ own Friendly Fires, so that they were ready to roll punctually at the Paradise-appointed time of 10:15. This band’s shows are 100 times better than their records because you get the full audio and visual experience right in front of you. On this particular night, multi-colored lights flashed feverishly across the stage, lending a carnival-like atmosphere quite appropriate for this kind of music. On stage left is drummer Jack Savidge on his riser, beating on his drums at a furious pace that it’s a wonder he ever manages to leave a gig with his hands intact. In the center of it all is lead singer Ed Macfarlane with his bevy of synthesizers ever at the ready, in front of touring bassist Rob Lee and their touring brass section (trumpeter and saxophonist). And lastly and certainly not least, on stage right is guitarist Edd Gibson shredding it on his axe in a way that should inspire generations to pick up a guitar and try it for themselves.

Having not seen them in about four months, I’d nearly forgotten just how tremendously punishing physically their set is on all the players. This was their second to last date on a grueling 3-week tour of North America, and I’d heard that everyone by this point was exhausted (and understandably so). However, I didn’t see any indication that the band wasn’t giving their usual 110%. When it came time for Macfarlane to break out his now world-famous dance moves, the man showed no sign of fatigue, most memorably on the wonky-waltzy “White Diamonds,” to which he threw his whole body into the song. “Photobooth,” an ode to young lovers taking an innocent photograph together, was preceded by him saying, “Are you going to join us [in the revelry and dance]?” Thanks to a long guitar cord, throughout the set Gibson was able to run back and forth across the Paradise stage, climbing on top of a speaker in front of Savidge several times to serenade those up in the balcony. So very rock ‘n’ roll.

While the throng was vocal in their appreciation for the Fires’ music, some people in the crowd clearly needed to loosen up, so much that Ed Mac had to implore, “Come on Boston, dance with me, please!” When they played “On Board,” then “Paris” (the obvious crowd-pleaser), the audience was finally moving and grooving in a way that the band approved. While it was disappointing that they played the exact same set list that I’ve gotten used to and we didn’t get a preview of the four songs Friendly Fires have already finished for album #2, we’ll have the new material and a brand-new set list to look forward to the next time they visit us stateside. The band’s sophomore album is expected to be released in May 2010. I can’t wait.

Friendly Fires Set List:
Lovesick
Jump in the Pool
Skeleton Boy
In the Hospital
White Diamonds
Strobe
Kiss of Life
Photobooth
On Board
Paris
//
Ex Lover

Friendly Fires: website | myspace | Friendly Fires review | Remix Monday: “Skeleton Boy” | @ Black Cat | @ Dot to Dot Festival | interview with pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3 | Mercury Prize Nominations Announced | New Video on MTV, To Play Jimmy Kimmel and Winter Nylon Tour, Release Expanded Version of Debut Album | @ Lollapalooza 2009 | @ le poisson rouge | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | on Jimmy Kimmel | Remix Monday: “Paris”
The xx: website | myspace | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | @ DC9

Losing a band member for any reason during any point in a band’s history can be traumatic, even devastating. In the case of the xx, losing fourth member and guitarist/synth player Baria Qureshi happening at the exact same time while the band’s meteoric rise in profile and acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic appears seemingly unstoppable is probably even more traumatic. The first sign of trouble was when the band had to cancel a couple European dates last month, Qureshi citing “exhaustion”; this seemed reasonable, considering how much the band has been touring since they were tipped by various media outlets and people in the business for being the next “it band.” But then a few days ago, the band announced that Qureshi had left the band permanently, owing to “personal differences,” leaving those of us already devoted to the xx wondering, “are they going to soldier on with a replacement, or is this the end?”

But the band has decided to continue as a trio. Having seen the xx as a quartet three months ago in New York in a supporting slot and having enjoyed their set, I hoped that having one less member wouldn’t affect the sound – at least, too much. I am happy to report that the xx sound excellent in their current configuration and, if anything, I think the trifecta of Romy Madley-Croft (guitar/vocals), Oliver Sim (bass/vocals), and Jamie Smith (percussion and electronics et al.) sounded even better to this night than they did previously.

Sunday night was a London doubleheader with the opening act, electronica artist Jon Hopkins. Here in front of us was not your run-of-the-mill mixmaster DJ. The lanky Hopkins effectively threw his body into his performance, all the while a master of his machines, adding layer upon layer of sonic goodness by manipulating his synths full of buttons, switches, dials and knobs. He said nothing throughout the set, instead preferring to reach for and occasionally take a swig from a well-placed bottle of Budweiser between the seamlessly segueing tracks. “Vessel”, with its dramatic, haunting piano arpeggios, was especially intriguing to me (as I’d been trained in classical piano when I was younger), especially so because it was played among songs that could be regarded electro mini-symphonies to tracks that ring out like they’d feel at home in outer space, like “Insides”. The crowd was quiet but that was probably because everyone’s eyes were glued to Hopkins’s hands during his set. Interesting choice for an opener.

Okay, so I get that the xx band uniform is black clothing from head to toe. I suppose this is a nod to the minimalist approach to their music, as is their generally unshakeable, unemotional manner when performing. Singers Romy Madley-Croft and Oliver Sim sport metal chains with charms around their necks, though I wonder if these chains are to aid the audience in seeing the two of them onstage. For both Jon Hopkins‘s set and the xx‘s, the club was very dark, and both professional and any kind flash photography were not allowed. The only two bright lights on at all times on stage were the two “X”s carved out of the front of Jamie Smith‘s desk of electronic wonder. At one point, Madley-Croft had to ask for the lights onstage to be raised slightly, probably because she couldn’t see the strings of her guitar. Funny. After their second song, “VCR,” Sim announced, “this is a special night. This is the first time we’ve played in Washington!” His comment was met with universal cheers from the crowd.

The set list featured two covers, “Do You Mind?” by Filipino R&B/soul singer Kyla and “Teardrops” by Womack and Womack, the latter causing Sim to admit bashfully (but with a grin as he fingered his black bass guitar) that he was embarrassed that they had to play another cover and that he wanted to run and hide himself in the crowd. Aww. To be honest, they played exactly what I expected for a band with only a debut album to their name, playing every song on xx with growing conviction. Each song combined the gorgeously emotional voices of Madley-Croft and Sim with the perfectly spare instrumentation from the three of them, so much that just hearing everything together might make you cry. So to me, the covers were just icing on the cake. Further along in the set, Madley-Croft’s usual steely demeanor gave way to a smile. I was glad – she and her band mates are talented folks and have a lot to be proud of.

For the lack of banter between the acts and the audience at DC9, this show might have been subtitled “The Quiet One.” But in the end, it was what we’d all shown up at the club for – great music – that triumphed over everything else. If you didn’t get the chance to catch them on their short headlining tour of America this fall, catch this band opening for Friendly Fires on the Nylon Winter Music Tour before the end of the year or supporting Hot Chip next April.

Set List:
Intro
VCR
Heart Skipped a Beat
Islands
Basic Space
Fantasy
Shelter
Do You Mind? (Kyla)
Crystalised
Teardrops (Womack and Womack)
Nighttime
Infinity
Stars

Tour Dates:
Nov 17 – 529 / Atlanta#
Nov 19 – Mohawk / Austin*
Nov 20 – Casbah / San Diego*
Nov 23 – Independent / San Francisco*
Nov 24 – Sacramento State University / Sacramento*
Nov 25 – Doug Fir / Portland*
Nov 26 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver*
Nov 27 – Neumo’s / Seattle*
Nov 30 – Triple Rock / Minneapolis*
Dec 01 – Bottom Lounge / Chicago*
Dec 03 – Les Saints / Montreal*
Dec 04 – Paradise / Boston*
Dec 05 – Webster Hall / New York City*
Apr 19 – Riviera Theatre / Chicago%
Apr 20 – Koolhaus / Toronto%
Apr 22 – Terminal 5 / New York City%
Apr 24 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC%
# with Jon Hopkins
* supporting Friendly Fires on the Nylon Winter Music Tour
% supporting Hot Chip

The xx: website | myspace | @ music hall of williamsburg
Jon Hopkins: website | myspace