Fickle Friends: Fibbers, York, You Are Someone Else Tour — Review
Hannah Sackville-Bryant and Jed Fulwell review Fickle Friends’ gig at Fibbers, York, on 6th March 2018.
Fickle Friends are an indie synth disco band who returned to York, and the grungy stomping ground of Fibbers, for the first time since their 2015 Summer Ball performance.
The gig kicked off with the first supporting act, Yorkshire’s own Alleyways, and the surprisingly tight indie rock band had grown significantly since their URY Session. Consisting of a standard set up of a vocalist, two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer, they jazzed themselves up with an innovative use of synths, including a small dubstep breakdown which set them apart from your standard sixth form band. Perhaps it is time for them to cut their old songs from their set though, as the significant difference in the production on their newer songs, next to the old songs, might take away from their progression. This aside, they drew an impressive turnout and set the tone well for the rest of the evening.
The crowd started to fill out as the rather attractive Cassia strolled onto the stage. Instantly, the whole of Fibbers was transported to Barbados with the addition of a few palm trees to the stage. The three-piece’s upbeat, sunny sound was helped along by technicolour drum shells and an excellent use of percussion. It was hard not to smile and boogie as the jangly guitar complemented the vocalist’s use of a Slapback Delay. Simply, it was refreshing to hear a band who weren’t trying to be the 1975, and although compared to Vampire Weekend, they offered a unique Caribbean influence to a genre that is increasingly populated by bland boy bands.
As more foliage filled the stage, Fickle Friends, clearly the most seasoned performers, began their set to a packed out Fibbers. Although a large band, they maintained an impressive rapport with the audience, joking about subjects from toast with the marmite sunken in to ample references about a Summer Ball performance gone wrong.
The buzzing, if slightly ill Natassja danced around the stage and effortlessly communicated with her fellow band members, as they performed with her and not behind her. The danceable nature of their writing meant the new songs did not flop as new songs so often can when played live. As with much modern music there is a necessity for a heavy use of backing tracks, but a better effort could have been made to enhance the performance’s authenticity, especially when the singer dropped the mic but perfectly audible vocals continued. Natassja played this off well though with a good bit of banter.
The set lost its energy with the token slow song ‘Paris’, but Fickle Friends’ rearrangements and use of half-time picked the energy up again instantly. Their final song and biggest hit, ‘Swim’, with 14 million plays on Spotify, left the crowd buzzing and ready to continue their night with Kuda Tuesday.
Article: Hannah Sackville-Bryant and Jed Fulwell
Editor: Alex Sheriff
Fickle Friends’ tour continues throughout this year, with numerous appearances around the country. Catch them at any one of the following dates:
March 21st — O2 Academy, Liverpool
March 22nd — La Belle Angele, Edinburgh
March 25th — Chinnerys, Southend-on-sea
March 26th — Waterfront Studio, Norwich
After a few dates abroad, Fickle Friends then come back to the UK for more dates in October of this year. Keep an eye out!
