Concert Review: Fenech-Soler Are Feel Good At Bowery Ballroom
I knew I was going to love Fenech-Soler from the moment they stepped unto the stage with fringe and glittered jackets. How could you hate someone with fringe and glitter? Who hurt you? As they ran out with a pep to their step, the energy of the room immediately changed. Sometimes, artists step out to play their music, but Fenech-Soler stepped up at Bowery Ballroom. The UK stars gave an electro-pop show that was the epitome of feel-good.
Playing off their latest album, Zilla, the Duffy brothers showed that changing the original line-up of Fenech- Soler did not change their originality. Going from four two, the Duffys filled the room with their personal electricity, especially lead vocalist Ben Duffy. This man is a cross between Thom Yorke from Radiohead and George Michael from Wham. Yes, I know a very random combination, but imagine that greatness and then place it in Ben’s voice and style. Yorke has a sentimentality to his voice that jerks and jolts listeners’ attention to certain notes and rhythms; as if his voice were a needles pricking through the fabric of your mind. Ben has the same capacity, and even shares a similar physicality as he snags and tugs through songs such as “Kaleidoscope” and “Stop And Stare” like they were pulling him in. There is a sincere connection between Ben and his music, that though may seem obvious, many times, electro-pop’s “funness” seemingly cuts off its appearance for depth. Still, Zilla has sincere nuggets of lyrical love and hope like in “Coversation” and “Night Time TV”. In this sense, I saw Ben’s correlation with George Michael; both have a capacity to bring out the heart of songs that are danceable in sound but true in words. Moreover, Ben’s vocal range widens during concerts where classic Fenech-Soler tracks like, “Demons” or his cover of Janet Jackson’s “Control’ were filled with higher notes and urgency. It was enough to make the crowd swoon.
Fenech Soler – Kaleidoscope (Official Video)
Fenech Soler’s show is a pure dance-fest where the amount of joy and comfortableness the crowd had at hitting the dance-floor could only be comparable to a family wedding. There was a familiarity and cheesiness on their smiles that was genuine, and, thus to me, beautiful. As the the lights blazed from purple and red to blue, the psychedelic aspects of their music felt amped, which only made the ease of dancing more prominent. You wanted to let go and give into the colorful moment they had built because it was unabashedly made for your bliss. This duo goes for blinding fun, and they achieve it. For More Information On Fenech-Soler Click Here .
