Fanfarlo
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Where: Arts Center, Norwich
When: 1st June 2009
After Fanfarlo released their debut long player Reservoir, one of the best albums of this year, they've been high on the list of must-see bands. And rightfully so, Reservoir was near on faultless. Whether they can recreate it live though is another matter entirely.
It turns out there was no need to fret. There might only be 5 of them - although you can add support act Jeremy Warmsley to that who plays guitar, keys or whatever else is put in front of him throughout the set - but it sounds like there is at least double that. The constant chopping and changing of instruments mid-song ensures the thick bulging textures of Reservoir are replicated with ease, with mesmerising results. Visually, it's an impressive sight too.
Everything is magnified live making the subtleties sound so much more important. Backing vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas has a wonderfully sweet voice that complements lead singer Simon Balthazar's perfectly. When the rest of the band including Warmsley join in the singing, it becomes breathtaking with the impossibly beautiful 'Harold T. Wilkins', Or 'How To Wait for A Very Long Time' as proof if needed. The changes of tempo in the the likes of 'Luna' are so much more effective in this setting and leave you to pick your jaw up from the floor after every song, only to have it drop once again when the next starts.
Set closer 'The Walls Are Coming Down' somehow manages to sound more majestic and stunning, it's lush textures of trumpet, plucked violin, glockenspiel, keyboard, guitars and even the odd clarinet piece together to leave you swaying, willing it - and the gig as a whole - never to end. 'Drowning Men' sounds even more Funeral-esque, the keys led jaunt takes on epic proportions to match their Canadian contemporaries.
The cherry on top was typically unforgettable as the band joined the crowd instruments in hand, to take on the Neutral Milk Hotel classic 'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea'. Entirely unplugged, it was spine tingling. Keep Fanfarlo your secret while you still can because they can only be heading in one direction.
Words: Jack Phillips
Images: Lewis Gibbs
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Reply #4 on : Thu July 07, 2011, 13:13:56
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Reply #3 on : Tue July 05, 2011, 15:46:40
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Reply #2 on : Mon July 04, 2011, 16:19:41
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Reply #1 on : Thu June 04, 2009, 20:45:55
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Reply #5 on : Fri July 08, 2011, 16:04:53