Sunday, January 2, 2011

Christmas Traffic in the City 28.12.10

Christmas Day has gone, but the spirit of the season lingers. The night air is chilled on the time of year and Bump and Wine is barer than Scrooge’s cupboard. I have a question to ask. Confirmed that Fighting Traffic will be playing here tonight, I seek a table and wait for the show to begin.

They say first impressions are lasting, but they never say they can be blown away by second, third and fourth impressions. When the band opens with Maroon 5’s Harder to Breathe, I think it is an average cover of a rather average song; decent but largely typical and remarkably uninspired.

When they follow it up with their original, and title track of their debut album, Don’t Worry About It however, I am intrigued by the full rich swell of the vocals, stunned by the sudden transformation of the musicianship and flat-out floored by the tonally heavy sound of the band itself. They are commanding.

But now they are playing Tokio Hotel’s Automatic. My heart comes to a screeching halt on principle alone. No alternative rock band should be covering emo pop. I could write a book on why not, but that would move the subjective into the personal, and so we move on ... It is a good cover ... I guess ... grudgingly >_>

They make up for it though. With a soaring set composed of U2’s Vertigo, Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars and a slew of other confident covers of likeable pop music such as Gavin DeGraw’s I Don’t Wanna Be, they manage to remove the memory of Top 40 fluff from my ears and resume giving me an expressive and enjoyable experience that was well worth the while I waited.

Theirs is a smooth, sensual, seasoned sound, composed of atmospheric, tonally dulcet and aurally dynamic vocals, deep, effortless, natural bass, the tight, thick, heavy timbre of the guitar and the movement and momentum of driving, stirring, almost tribal drums. It is powerful and beautiful, fluent and gripping.

Lyrically eloquent and outstanding originals grab and absorb my attention, and seem to transfix the turn out tonight. Favourites amongst them are Wherever You Are, Dream and Find A Good Woman. Reaching in mood from grandiose to nostalgic, wistful to up-beat, they are easy to listen to and very emotionally-evocative in scope and in scale. But still the audience only ever claps on cue politely.

It is a sadness and a tragedy that when crowds are called upon to show their appreciation and satisfaction for the energetic entertainment afforded them, they hesitate and hang back, not knowing how to move forward, how to take part in the synergetic process between art and audience or how to express their feelings for the experience that they are there to enjoy. They do however manage to clap on cue politely ... each and every single time >.<

Despite falling a little flat at times in the song selection department, having slight technical and tonal issues with feedback from both guitar and crowd, Fighting Traffic is a great band of guys who work and play well together. They keep it real, rhythmic and well-polished. Their music is effectual, enjoyable and excellent to listen to. Their sound is incredibly international, tremendously catchy and as classy and as epic as alternative will get. You should go and experience them for yourself reader. They are well worth the while you’ve waited.

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Knicky Laurel,
 Metal Faerie.

... Christmas Day has gone, but the spirit of the season lingers ... \m/


FOTOS!




















Lead Vocalist, Carlos Baptiste



















Lead and Rhythm Guitarist,
Kevin Jack















Bassist, David Thomas















Drummer, Melvin Alick


FOOTAGE!

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