I have been following The Fierce and the Dead (aka TFATD) since they started about 10 years ago. I had been a fan of the work of one of their guitarists Matt Stevens who is a master of looping. The band emerged from one of his album sessions and have been producing great instrumental rock ever since. This gig at the Hope and Anchor in Islington was a warm-up for some festivals they are doing, including one in Germany. It sold out in hours due to a loyal fan-base.
I went to this gig with fellow Steemian @hockney. We have seen the band at least four times together after I got him into them when we worked together. He was really keen and posted about the gig before I even got home that night.
We met up at the tube station where I had just seen bassist Kev heading to the venue. As we walked past the pub Matt and Kev were out waiting for their van to arrive an unload. We said hi before going in search of food.
@hockney points out their poster.
We found a pub up the road where we could eat and have a good chat. I had a nice vegan chilli and we each had a pint of Doom Bar. That pub was pretty busy by the time we were done, so we wandered back to the venue. There was this cool hardware shop along the way with a great display of lightbulbs. I like their slogan.
There were a few obvious gig-goers in the pub, but we do not really know them. The band seems to attract middle-aged blokes, but I think their appeal could be wider. We went for the Naked Ladies beer that I enjoyed with @detlev last week. There was the option to have it served in pint mugs.
I had not been to this venue before. They have a small theatre upstairs and bands play in the cellar. This is a fairly typical dark and cramped space like you find all over London. Kev was on the door, with his bass, and he drew the band's logo on our hands rather than using a stamp. These are Matt's pedals.
You can see in the top picture how the place is covered in acoustic foam, with some hanging off. I do not think these venues make a huge amount of money, so they can be a bit tatty. The band kicked off on schedule and it was full-on from the start. I have to say that I struggle to name all the songs as there are no lyrics to remind you, apart from two words in one song. Standing a few feet from the stage you got the full impact of the amplifiers and drums, but it sounded great. Matt played some synth on a couple of songs, but I do prefer his guitar playing. This is pretty technical music with odd tunings and time signatures, but you can just headbang to it. I liked Kev's comment that they only let Matt shred at the end of songs and he took advantage of that.
I can recommend seeing the band if they play anywhere near you. Here are a few of their songs.
They kicked off with Truck.
Ark is a bit more mellodic.
They finished with the epic 666...6.
Rock on!
The geeky guitarist and facilitator of the 10K Minnows Project.
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