Fat Freddy's Drop, ElectricEmpire @ The Tivoli, Brisbane(27/05/2011)

Mon 30th May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Fat Freddy’s Drop are a fusion of several Wellington based bands and are the foundation of the dub and roots music movement in New Zealand. Their catchy melodies and legendary live performances have cemented their status as a must see act and their show at the Tivoli was no exception.

Support band Electric Empire hit the stage first with an act that completely encapsulated the raw soul sounds from the sixties and seventies. Having just scored a gig at Glastonbury in June, the band are no strangers to the music scene with Dennis Dowlut on guitar from former Aussie RnB acts Kaylan and Disco Montego, Jason Heerah on drums who won “Australia’s Best Up and Coming Drummer” at the age of seventeen, and Aaron Mendoza a brilliant vocalist and master of the keys. The Melbourne trio (plus bassist extraordinaire Marcel Yammouni) delivered an energetic and uplifting set that was well polished and mixed with excellent crowd interaction. The Tivoli was starting to fill up fast and Electric Empire’s set continued to excite the crowds with fantastic solos, killer grooves and a breakdown involving a talk box proving that this relatively new band will become a force to be reckoned with on the live music scene.

Electric Empire having done a brilliant job as the support left the stage, and the multi generational crowd chattered excitedly as a DJ mixing Aotearoa Roots played over the in-house PA. The lights grew dim, the large crowd cheered and after a passionate introduction of “The Magnificent Seven” by MC Slave, Fat Freddy’s Drop made their way onto the stage.

Slow roving blue lights accompanied the mellow beginning to the journey, with the band’s horn section Chopper Reedz , Hopepa and Tony Chang starting the fire and Joe Dukie ’s soothing soulful vocals adding fuel, reaching a crescendo in the second track with Boondigga, which proved to be a crowd favourite. The show continued with highlights including energetic free styling by MC Slave and the call and response of “Fire! Fire!” during Roady microwaving the crowd into frenzy.

The guitar work of Jetlag Johnson was stellar – subtle ambience to full blown solos were the theme of the evening. The keys player Dobie Blaze treated the crowd to some deep bass and melodic harmonies and the percussion/production section of DJ Fitchie kept the crowd in check with hypnotic drum and bass lines on a sample station; replacing the instruments of previous tours. The band kept the audience enthralled throughout the show, new songs were played and well received, and the performance of Shiverman and encore classic Wandering Eye wrapped up the two and a half hour experience.

Antics of the night included front man Dukie’s robot and nineties dance moves, as well as trombonist Hopepa’s consistent shedding of clothing throughout the performance – starting off with a suit and finishing the night wearing stubbies and a singlet.

An observation of Fat Freddy’s Drop revealed a band that simply loved their job, and this energy, enthusiasm and passion transformed the concert at the Tivoli into a massive party that made the balconies shake as every pair of feet in the house moved along to the beats, transcending time and space to make the music into an experience that the crowd certainly had no hesitation in being a part of. It is no surprise that this band conducts tours of Europe every year as well as being favourites at festivals such as Byron Bay Bluesfest.