When Monday is as blue as can be, the only thing that can make up for a wasted day is an evening of thumping rock. The LaFontaines delivered at Newcastle’s The Cluny last night.
Opening for the Glaswegian trio was lad-band Slix who brought an exciting live performance filled with energetic and catchy indie rock tracks. The band are young and enthusiastic and that translated into their live performance, The Cluny slowly filled up throughout the band’s set and by the end Slix had gathered a good audience they slowly won over with their guitar rock sound. Slix made sure The Cluny was well and truly warmed up for The LaFontaines.
The exciting rock trio entered the stage to a thunderous applause and an audience that grew bigger throughout the evening until The Cluny was rammed and sweating. The LaFontaines, and singer Kerr in particular, knows how to wrap their audience around their little finger and did just that throughout last Monday night. Thundering drums, slick riffs and powerful lyricism made for a massive statement made by a band that out of so many have figured out exactly how to stand out within their genre. And by ‘their genre’ I truly mean theirs, The LaFontaines have carved out a space for themselves with their way of combining alternative, rock and elements of hip hop.
The LaFontaines truly made the stage, and the venue, theirs, clearly comfortable, and musicians made to entertain. After seventeen years, it’s no surprise they’ve picked up some tips and tricks, but young indie bands could learn a thing or two from this band’s audience interaction. Kerr could’ve been a stand up comedian, knowing exactly how to make even the coldest of music enthusiasts smile, and jumping into the crowd many a times, showing us how to make the most out of a cordless mic. While bassist Darren was in his own world, simply providing warm basslines and enjoying the back of the stage, drummer Jamie provided the drum fills and harmonious vocal lines.
Kerr’s spoken vocals and Jamie’s soaring voice intertwined seamlessly and made for a passionate and endlessly energetic show. With four albums to their name, the band had plenty of material to share with their eager audience, singles ‘Class’, ‘Under The Storm’, and of course their latest album title track ‘Business As Usual’ all passed the revue. A set of a good hour and a half long still didn’t seem to take it out of them, the three musical veterans gave everything they had from the very beginning until the very last minute of their set. As part of their album release tour they’ll still be hitting Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and London, and I’d highly recommend seeing them at at least one of those cities!
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