The Audio Perv

By Laura McWhorter

I’m getting pretty sick of seeing Friendly Fires. Ahem…I’m getting pretty sick of seeing Friendly Fires at Paradise Rock Club. This was my second chance to catch the British trio and I was certain, after the incredible showing last time, that they’d be movin’ on up. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the ‘Dise but I’m just dying to see what kind of dance moves Ed Macfarlane breaks out with a little more elbow room. Plus, they deserve it – having been touring (and absolutely killing it) nonstop since February.

Unlike every other normal city on the planet…it happened to be snowing in Boston on Thursday as I strode up to the venue (Yep. I don’t want to talk about it). When I was done bemoaning the weather I realized just how perfectly everything was shaping up. I can think of no better way to thaw my frozen toes than by taking cover and spending the night with three bros from England and their tropical, tribal brand of rock. After the first few seconds, it was pretty clear that everyone else agreed.

‘Love Sick’, ‘Jump in the Pool’ and ‘Blue Cassette’ started off the set and got the blood flowing back to our previously frozen extremities. After that…it was a no holds barred dance party for the next hour. It was a short set (14 songs) but they hit most of the high notes – both from their self-titled debut and 2011’s Pala. And to be honest…with Jack Savidge going so hard on the drums…I seriously doubt I could’ve lasted much longer. I have no clue how he does it. The drum fills are so complex and rich…it’s almost impossible to keep up – definitely my favorite part about this band’s sound.

Singer, Ed is a man of very few words but we did the talking for him – singing along to every word of ‘True Love’, ‘Chimes’ and ‘Show Me Lights’. When he wasn’t strutting his stuff on stage he was breaking it down in the crowd with us. The high-energy set closed out with ‘Live Those Days Tonight’, ‘Pull Me Back to Earth’ and ‘Paris’ and by the end of it the venue was covered in a collective blanket of all the excess layers and coats that people had been shedding throughout the night. By the time the band wrapped up the encore of ‘Hawaiian Air’ and the 7-minute tribal theme, ‘Kiss of Life’, everyone was half-clothed and full-exhausted.

If I have one criticism of the show it’s that it’s the exact same show I saw back in May. The set list barely changed (and when it did…it was just in the ordering of the songs). There are some other great tracks I would’ve loved to hear live this time around but I guess they’re nothing if not consistent. If nothing else, I hope this encore performance was enough to convince this batch of concert-goers like it convinced me before.

They’re back across the pond now for the remainder of the tour but I’m told they’ll be back soon – hopefully with a refreshed set and larger stages. Ed’s been shaking it on the tiniest of stages across America and it’s about damn time we get the full show. Because, let’s be honest, if any country can handle a good old fashioned (albeit gratuitous) ass-shaking…it’s us.

Set List:
Love Sick
Jump in the Pool
Blue Cassette
True Love
On Board
Chimes
Skeleton Boy
Show Me Lights
Live Those Days Tonight
Hurtin’
Pull Me Back to Earth
Paris

Hawaiian Air
Kiss of Life