Frequent readers of this blog will be familiar with local band The Fatty Acids. (Read here, here and here.) However, I have to admit the band’s set last night at the U.S. Cellular stage on Summerfest’ opening night was my first time seeing them live. (It was also my first time at Summerfest, but I digress.)
The band arrived back in Milwaukee the night before, fresh off a tour with Sat. Night Duets (who headline the Cascio Interstate Music Grove Stage on July 4th), though you would never know it by the energy level.
I had high hopes for this quirky group and was not disappointed – despite the fact that the dance party atmosphere featured in the music video for “Astrovan” never materialized. Maybe it was too early in the night.
After parading on stage with a unicorn – yes, a unicorn – the band opened with “Howl” from 2010’s Stop Berries, Berries and Berries, Berries. The short track set the mood of the show: fast and furious. The set was non-stop and high-energy. At one point, trumpeter Kurt Raether danced himself right out of his sunglasses and Josh Evert stashed the microphone in his mouth to bang on the keyboard and beat machine.
Much of the band’s aesthetic reminds me of Canadian outfits Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown – the two members sporting justaches (just the ‘stache) certainly didn’t hurt the comparison to Spencer Krug. But it’s really the keyboard, unexpected shifts and falsetto vocals that triggered my memory. All things The Fatty Acids do well, even during the rushed Summerfest set.
The strongest part of the show came just three songs in during “Astrovan,” where the crowd engaged in a successful clap along. The song also includes the catchiest bits of music I’ve heard in a long time and will most likely make frequent appearances on my playlist for a while.
While the pop-friendly songs are as catchy as anything on the radio, the vocals reveal a tougher interior. It’s not all fluff. Even though many of the sounds might fit better in an old-school Nintendo Game, there’s a depth to the music.
I think I’m hooked. Good thing I can download all their music for free.
