On a freezing Wednesday night, Fatherson filled the Bodega with fans, young and old, for a fantastic display from a band who really enjoy what they do. After catching the last couple of songs from their set supporting Prides at Rescue Rooms last November, I was eager to hear more from the band.
Support acts Josh Wheatley and Boy Jumps Ship warmed up the room, and after a Scottish-themed interlude with tracks from CHVRCHES and Biffy Clyro playing through the speakers, the foursome appeared on stage in front of an excited audience. Opener “Always” started moody and building, before rocketing into a driving and punchy crowd-pleaser, not surprising as it is one of the band’s most popular singles.
Tracks from the debut album “I Am An Island” such as “Hometown” followed, pumping up the crowd, including the most eager fans who were already singing along to every word, punctuating lyrics by punching the air and clapping. They were even more enthused when the foursome played a brand new track from their upcoming second record, due out on June 3rd and titled “Open Book”.
After the briefest of encores, the crowd were treated to another new song, “Lost Little Boys”, which has been gaining recognition and airplay from DJs such as Huw Stephens from Radio 1. This boisterous and bouncy single sums up Fatherson’s style- lively rock music with soaring vocals, and emotional lyrics.
The penultimate song was my personal favourite track, single “I Like Not Knowing” which inspired epic sing-alongs and clapping. Lead singer Ross previously told the story of their last show in Nottingham several years ago at the Red Rooms, where the audience comprised the support acts and two fans; the current crowd rewarded the band for their constant hard work with an emotional rendition of album track “James”, with an acapella repetition of the song’s chorus, band and fans singing as one. It was a special moment for the crowd and the band, all of whom were beaming throughout the gig, ecstatic to see the fans respond so well to their performance.
It was a pleasure to witness a band who so clearly loved what they were doing, especially in a small venue such as Bodega where their energy was overflowing, filling Bodega to the brim. Fatherson are indeed making a name for themselves as one of the best new bands coming out of Scotland; with the release of their new album this summer, their momentum and fan base will only increase!
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