GIG REVIEW: Club Fandango
- Posted on September 16, 2008 9:51 AM
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Club Fandango @ 229
Tuesday 2nd September
Review by Andy Hirst
As part of Club Fandangos ‘Fistful of Fandangos’; a five day mini festival held at 229 on Great Portland Street, Thursday, or day 3 of the festival saw Fionn Regan headline the night supported by an appropriate selection of acoustic acts and bands. The term festival is perhaps slightly misleading in this instance as all the events take place in the evening and although there is the option of buying a pass for all 5 nights most of the gigs seem to operate as autonomous happenings in their own right. If, however, it is to be thought of as a festival, this night is definitely the most acoustically themed event of the festival featuring as it does more in the way of solo performers alongside bands who do not seem too out of keeping amongst their singer songwriter surroundings.
One thing that did set the evening aside from an ordinary gig night was the dual stage format which allowed 6 bands and soloists to perform in less than four hours; a feat not possible with only the one stage. It did logistically necessitate that the crowd move from one side of the venue to the other after each act, however as that journey took them past the bar I don’t suppose the inconvenience bothered too many of the gig goers.
The main stage at 229 is considerably larger than the second stage which perhaps posed a rather daunting prospect for some of the early acts on the line-up. The first acoustic act, Pete Greenwood seemed a little lost and whilst his early time slot may explain the rather cavernous space before him, performing with a little more enthusiasm may have redeemed his lacklustre set. His songs were performed accurately and his vocal came across well despite the shortage of audience, however I think ‘warm up act’ is certainly appropriate in this instance.
‘Stars and Suns’, the openers in room 2 fared better in their more intimate surroundings, a setting which may have seemed unfair to Pete Greenwood as there were already 4 of them to occupy the space that he had been swamped by next door. An energetic set of songs featuring jaunty keyboard melodies and well balanced guitar parts created a vague Ben Folds Five impression which is no bad thing. The second band on stage two: Cassie and the cassettes were well greeted by the audience who warmed to their quirky blend of jazzy pop, the lead vocalist skipped shoeless around the stage whilst the band veered from delicately understated verses to upbeat cheery choruses in a manner that got the crowd moving even if only to nod their chin appreciatively. ‘Lucky Soul’, the final band to play with a full band set up, were once again a poppy upbeat bunch who whipped through their 3 minute energetic pop offerings in a retro style that demonstrated a good ear for a well crafted song whilst remaining somewhat ineffectual at provoking much of a memorable response.
The acoustic acts in the main room now had more bodies than space to perform to and managed to entertain the gathering crowd very well. Pete Molinari played a heartfelt set that everyone was glad needn’t be cut short as it had originally seemed and by the time Fionn Regan took to the stage for his headline set a captivated audience filled the floor watching spellbound as he effortlessly plucked songs as if from thin air. A voice as captivating as his barely needs musical accompaniment yet his subtle and delicate guitar parts are a fine addition and clearly the majority of attendees were already very well aware of that fact.
Saturday
The final night of Club Fandango’s Fistful of Fandango’s 5 day festival at 229 Great Portland Street featured arguably the strongest of the 5 days with Scottish indie icons Camera Obscura headlining, supported by fellow Scots; Frightened Rabbit as well as the Clientele, The Week That Was, The Wave Pictures and Lawrence Arabia.
The weekend setting coupled with the line-up ensured that arenas that had seemed sparse and under populated for some of the midweek gigs remained full even for the early acts. Whilst this made for a more consistent atmosphere and appreciative bands it did make the journey from stage 1 to stage 2 more problematic and for some of the crowd downright impossible. At times a one in one out policy allowed a trickle of queuing fans to negotiate the interchange, however any of these fortunate enough to make it through would be ushered unceremoniously to the back of the heaving crowd for a spectacular view of the sound desk and a crowd silhouetted against the bright lights of the stage.
Many a festival goer has expressed their dismay at finding a band they love failing to convey their sonic appeal on the big stage with many bands finding themselves suited more to the intimate gig setting than the open air environment. Few of those at stage 2 could make any such festival gripe as everything from the tiny stage, mere feet from the audience, to the low lying ceilings evokes ‘small gig’ infinitely more than it does a ‘big festival’. In many ways that is the greatest appeal of the mini festival; it takes the benefits of multiple stages and the vast array of bands you can fit on one line-up whilst taking removing itself from a muddy field and relocating to a more typical gig environment.
The bands all suited the well crafted indie stylings of the headliners Camera Obscura, who played to a packed audience at the end of the night. The 6 piece sailed effortlessly through their back catalogue and more recent releases in their dreamy romanticised style. Other highlights came from some of the less widely known bands on the bill; the Wave Pictures wowed the early arrivals on the main stage with their poetic musings on marmalade and Nescafe amongst other topics with their minimalist instrumental set up and 3 part melodies creating a near flawless format for perfect pop music. Frightened Rabbit who seemed to be big favourites amongst the tightly packed crowd on stage 2 could have quite comfortably filled the main stage which would have made them more accessible to those such as myself who could only catch a glimpse of the end of the set made all the more frustrating by just how good that glimpse did sound. Pop rockers The Week That Was kept the audience happy with a set that kept energy levels upbeat and left little to be offended by if a slightly lacking in intrigue.
5 days after Tuesday’s introduction to Fistful of Fandango and over 30 bands and acts have rocketed through the doors at 229 to play in front of thousands of fans, and all this without a spattering of rain or waterlogged tent to get in the way of the musical enjoyment. With the increasingly disparaging nature of the British Summer at least this is one festival that can’t fall foul of weather issues and still satisfies a rather hefty thirst for music.
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