Fenech-Soler, a four-member electropop band from Kings Cliffe, return to Nottingham for the second time this year. They are promoting their new album, ‘Rituals’, after a three year gap since their first studio album, whose most well-known singles include Lies and Demons.
Having just walked past a crowd of teenage girls waiting for Panic! at the Disco at Rock City, it was a relief to find that the crowd in Rescue Rooms was aged from twenty up to middle-aged couples enjoying an evening of music. Instead of screaming fan-girls, we had a room full of adults who actually care more about the music than the face of the lead-singer. This made for a relatively calm crowd, with the front few rows belonging to the die-hard fans dancing madly, slightly more subdued dancing in my section, with a stationary group at the back who clearly had not listened to Fench-Soler before.
Even so, the atmosphere was busy enough and got livelier as the set went on (which was lucky, given that the support acts hadn’t done much to liven the crowd). They went from one big track to another, loud and fast dance beats against the lead singer’s very pure voice. Although there was minimal interaction with the crowd, there was enough to make them endearing, with ‘Thank-you so much Nottingham!’ uttered between every song. Instead, they took the opportunity to cram as many tracks as possible into the hour and fifteen minute set which meant they were able to play a large amount of tracks, enough of their old album interspersed with the new to keep the different fan-bases entertained.
One of the best aspects of the gig was the energy that the boys put into their performance. The lead singer did not stand still for a moment, making full use of the stage. In fact his microphone stand was pushed over multiple times. Instead of remaining static in their set positions, the boys moved around to use different instruments – the lead singer did a drum solo in the middle of a song, and the two guitarists kept switching between guitars and synthesizers throughout the set. They put on a real show, with complicated light and sound effects and a bass drum which lit up every time it was hit.
One thing to be said for Fenech-Soler – seeing them live made me like them more than when I’d listened to them before. The electronic elements made more of an impact in Rescue Rooms than they ever could on my laptop in my bedroom and the lyrics seemed much more powerful. So, if you don’t have a chance to see them live, at least listen to them loud!
By Alice Billin
Comments