Fanfarlo, London Metro
Fanfarlo
11th December, 2008
All the ingredients seem to be in place for Fanfarlo. Based in London under the radar of the nation’s music press; fronted by a charismatic Swede at a time when Sweden’s indie output can apparently do no wrong; and championing an indie-folk sound with horns and strings which has recently gone mainstream thanks in part to the Arcade Fire and, more recently, Fleet Foxes.
Irrelative to being in the right place at the right time – it seems on Thursday night’s evidence that the band won’t be needing any of those buffers. Early singles such as Fire Escape and We Live By the Lake, two heart-melting summery pop delights, proved earlier this year that Fanfarlo could cut it in three and a half minutes. What the band showed under the low ceiling of Oxford Street’s Metro is that they now have a debut album’s worth of material, all of it equally as catchy and trailblazing as those initial releases.
Their live performance has really been galvanised with a new tightness and intensity. Where before they jangled compliantly, the band now drive through their songs, adding some much needed muscle. In this enviroment, singer and guitarist Simon Balthazar’s vocals sound less floaty and twee, instead more soaring and ethereal.
They now surge, ebb, and wane, bursting in and out of choruses like the aforementioned Arcade Fire. Except instead of being burdened by that band’s operatic chamber rock, Fanfarlo balance the charm of early Belle and Sebastian in one hand and the heartache of The Shins in the other. A support slot with a big name could be just what Fanfarlo need to cast them into the spotlight.
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