The Fratellis - Hi Fi Bar

Whilst descending the Hifi’s mysterious winding staircase The Shake up grab you with an immeasurable charm, a distant beat and melody that draws the listener in, causing an urge to push to the front of the milling crowds and discover the band who are creating such a loud, catchy and cohesive sound. The big surprise is that the band are only a three piece, the bigger and more pleasant surprise is that the venue is nigh on full, appreciating the band’s efforts and not just idly killing time before the headline act take to the stage.
After the ubiquitous fiddling and fathing from an international band’s road crew (how many times do you need to tune the same guitar?) the Fratellis suddenly appear on stage and bask in an instant wave of admiration from a highly enthusiastic audience who have obviously been waiting a long time for the band to finally get here. The first striking thing about the band is how much heavier they sound live than on their albums. Live renditions of tracks from ‘Costello Music’ have gained an extra depth and grunt that was never present on the recorded versions. Newer material from ‘Here we Stand’ pushes the band further into epic rock territory with more sweeping chord changes, guitar solos and sing-a-long choruses. The second striking thing about the Fratellis is how well known their material is, it even surprises the band, giving special mention to the fact that they have never encountered an audience that knows the words to all of their songs, old and new. Looking around the venue, at least 50% of the venue is mouthing along to nearly every word of nearly every song. The entire gig is an enjoyable and pleasurable experience, the crowd are here to appreciate the music not fling themselves about the venue in the direction of the stage, no one is pissed off, no one is angry, there are no conflicts, no run ins with security, just a great night of music from a band proving themselves to be a lot greater and possesing more longevity than anyone ever expected.

Published in InPress