Fanfarlo @ King Tuts 30/09/09

I love Tuts. There I’ve said it. Tonight Glasgow’s best small venue plays hosts to three vastly different bands and blends them together with complete perfection. Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers, who take to the stage first, sound like, and in fact look like, a punch up at a truck stop in the Deep South; all John Deere and Jack Daniels. These are stomping country tinged numbers infused with blasts of trumpet from a makeshift brass section and they are enormous fun into the bargain. The difference is the deftness of touch in the song-writing and the sheer enjoyment that tonight’s band get from tearing up the stage for half an hour.

And then for something completely different. Hailing from Sweden, First Aid Kit consist of two female singers that look very young indeed to be standing in front of such a crowd. Talent, however, makes concerns like that irrelevant, and both voices are sublime. Beautiful harmonies waft over quiet folk songs and utterly compel Tuts to silence. Individual shuffles and breaths can be heard above the notes of the autoharp and the intriguing little duo leave smiles on the faces of all.

Fanfarlo are next, or at least half of them are. The set opens with an acoustic rendition of ‘Drowning Men’ and the first hint of the multitalented personnel on show. Banjos, violins and bells emerge and we are treated to the unique sight of someone attempting to mic up a saw. Yet none of this is for show. The Fanfarlo sound is something special and as songs like ‘Comets‘ or ‘I’m a Pilot’ swell to glorious conclusions the effect is astounding. Having six members on stage who are all doing so much only ever works if you are just this good.

The quality of self-released debut album Reservoir has recently earned the band major label status and it’s not difficult to see why. Every song is a standout and they move beautifully through the gears from the shouty chorus of ‘The Walls are Coming Down’ to the poppy wonder that is ‘Harold T Wilkins‘. ‘Luna’ (below) finishes the set and embodies all that is wonderful about the band – sweeping instrumentation, wonderful song-writing and a overpowering tone that is unavoidably uplifting. And as if that wasn’t enough – the new songs on display tonight point to a very exciting sophomore release.

Pic: Euan Anderson