Fanfarlo and First Aid Kit, Bush Hall, October 7th
Fanfarlo and First Aid Kit played Bush Hall on October 7th
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By inthenews. |  |
Friday, 09, Oct 2009 03:09
Given that the neither of FirstAidKit's members is over the age of 20, the quiet confidence they give off as they walk on stage seems remarkable.
Things only get more remarkable when the two Swedish sisters start strumming their instruments and singing - Johanna and Klara Soderberg may look like winsome young children, but their melodies and lyrics give off the impression that these girls have seen and felt things most middle aged folkies would find difficult to turn into songs. Seemingly wise far beyond their 16 and 19 years of age, the girls' lyrics touch on loves and battles won and lost, while their stripped-back instrumentation accompanies the close harmonies of their voices beautifully. On different songs the sisters use ukeleles, zithers and a mandolin, but it is their voices that are the real standout instruments of this set. They blend in a way that only siblings' vocals can in unusual cadences that add haunting depth to their songs. The contents of their debut EP is varied enough to keep the audience in Bush Hall in spellbound silence, despite the fact that they are the support act, and their final number - a cover of the Fleet Foxes' Tiger Mountain Peasant Song - simply blows the crowd away.
Following this captivating performance would be no easy task for an ordinary group, but then Fanfarlo could never be accused of being ordinary. This London-based five-piece add violins, banjos, trumpets and all-sorts of strange percussive and electronic extras to the 'normal' template of guitar, bass and drums. Switching instruments regularly and accompanying their multi-layered music with several voices at a time, they create the kind of songs that would make Tuung or Beirut proud. Their sound may be whimsical, but it is by no means weak, and several members of the Bush Hall audience are moved enough to start moving to some of the heavier bass-lines. Having sold out this venue on the strength of their debut album, Reservoir, alone is no mean feat, but this is a band that feel like they've earned it. Their performance is tight, without being robotic and their stage presence speaks of a group that still enjoys playing together for a crowd. This enthusiasm lasts all the way through to their encore, when they call FirstAidKit back on stage and embark on a Devendra Banhart cover beautiful enough to challenge the king of freak folk for his winsome crown.
Tristan Kennedy