| The Ten Thousand Things + Fonda 500 |
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| Almost LiveLab’s live music promotional debut in Lincoln after years of hosting the successful Yo-yo indie club nights here. The near capacity attendance for a Sunday night indicates how well regarded the management are and how quickly both main acts are establishing a following outside of their home county of Yorkshire.
It was obvious during Fonda 500's setting up that they were from the fabulous Brit tradition of genius pop eccentrics. While beefy lead singer Simon set up his low-tech keyboard on an illuminated display cabinet containing a plastic cat, their shapely raven-haired guitarist turned out to be a bloke. (‘Nice dress, mate.’)
Immediately before starting the first number Simon pulled a weird Mickey Mouse woolly hat down halfway over his head (think Badly Drawn Boy but with menace) - and slunk almost out of sight behind his keyboard - which, by the way, must have cost all of £9.11 off eBay. The set proved that Fonda 500 stand by their idiosyncratic persona, it's not merely a front. Intricate, twisted and whimsical miniature pop songs lasting two minutes are delivered en masse with a full-on masculine drum and bass that is both fun and slightly disorienting. This band know their subject and have constructed their own music that is both amusingly referential and dazzlingly innovative. By the end the crowd were up at the edge of the stage imploring for more. This was seriously good, probably seriously important British pop. I found myself bowing before them as the band passed by as they left the stage. Jesus!
The Ten Thousand Things were more strong lager than smarty-pants cappuccino. The zen reference in their name certainly applied to lead singer Sam Riley’s performance. Looking so relaxed at the lip of the stage, towering over the worshipful fans at his feet, his blink-rate proved glacial. As emaciated as a teen Mark E Smith and fond too of that 70's Northern unemployable white male look, in white shirt and worn school tie with shabby black trousers held up (excessively) with braces. Songs were full of assured discontent delivered with a worldliness that intrigues. The voice is of a serious quality, with a wide range able to work through lyrics that are dryly acerbic without ever sounding phoney. The mind and heart of raggedy Mr. Riley are chillingly void but his body language repeatedly contorts with frustration . One feels an unreconstructed male confusion as he aimlessly whips the air or crumples to slap the stage. It was a performance that was superbly articulate and vulnerable and perhaps surprisingly both female as well as male audience members were affected by it.
All in all two bands who would steal the show if/when they are given a chance on BBC's ‘Later’ and a great debut at LiveLab and what might prove a very hard night to beat.
Pix of the night at www.shine.clara.co.uk/gigs |
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This page was last updated Monday, 11 January 2010
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