Brothers Ross and Ben Duffy have been working on the third album from Fenech-Soler since the 2013 tour of their second album, Rituals. After just about four years in the making, ZILLA was released on February 3rd, 2017 and UK's party starters kicked off their North American tour in April!
After getting the electronica group together in 2010, the band's name-sake, Daniel Fenech- Soler and fellow co-founder, Andrew Lindsay left the band last year before the third album was made.
Since then the Duffy brothers have taken the helm, keeping the band going without changing it's name and making new music that fits their exsisting outfit.
Following the first band of the night Moderns, Arkansas' Knox Hamilton played a great supporting set which included "A Sight For Sore Eyes" inspired by the city of San Francisco. After a half hour of rocking, talking up their debut album being on-sale at the merch table and praising both of the other bands, Knox Hamilton had the crowd adequately riled up for Fenech-Soler.
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| Fenech-Soler @ Brick and Mortar 5/20/2017 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
The duo from King's Cliff in the UK had two more in tow with them for the tour: one on backup synthesizers and one holding it down on the drums and the four of them took the stage just past 11:00. It'd been three years since the last time they played in San Francisco which was also their first show here at none other than San Francisco's premier indie club, Popscene. And man did they return with vigor!
I was really excited that they opened with my favorite song, "Late Night TV" off the new album. It's flirty build up of guitar hooks and bright synths was a great way to reel people in! And Ben positively erupted on stage! You couldn't ignore the passion in his voice as he sang and you couldn't look away as he aggressively brought their summery electro-pop to life. It was super fun just watching him light up the stage!
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| Fenech-Soler @ Brick and Mortar 5/20/2017 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
I loved the jackets Ben and Ross were wearing: one in tasseled denim and the other in a shimmery embroidered bomber. Their look matched their "night on the town" sound. Highly stylish and mildly metrosexual, they both rocked it comfortably. Ben's low-key fancy jacket reminded me of Michael Jackson, the way the crimson and gold embroidery wrapped around the shoulders and down the lats. It all came together when he asked if there was any Janet Jackson fans in the house at the top of their lo-tempo rendition of the 1986 single, "Control". It's always a cool change of pace when bands
do cover songs live; however, easily being the slowest song of the night, I think fans were happy when the band switched back to their own up-lifting beats.
Like most electro-pop bands, the use of actual instruments is more apparent when played live in comparison to studio albums. Soaring synth melodies Fenech-Soler do so well were made edgier by vibrant drum hooks and again, Ben's performance and over-all stage presence amped-up their dancey factor. Notably excited to be back in San Francisco, his sensational energy carried the show.
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| Fenech-Soler @ Brick and Mortar 5/20/2017 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
Their music is made for the club scene but Fenech-Soler's live show is worthy of a bigger, possibly more acclaimed venue, especially in the Bay Area where that diso-ish vibe is so hot right now. They played a whole bunch of new stuff including the first single, "Kaleidoscope" and their newest single, "Conversation". They also played songs they hadn't played in a while which is pretty awesome of them to do considering their old material was made and most likely last played with their ex-bandmates. Fenech-Soler definitely deliver a performance that their fans want to see. And, that's what makes a show a great show.
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| Fenech-Soler @ Brick and Mortar 5/20/2017 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
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