The Faint - Digital, Brighton
Many weeks ago an email was sent around the Room Thirteen staff list. ‘LiveReviewRequest,The Faint,’ it said. Wow! I thought. Not only, in my humble opinion anyway, are The Faint an absolutely fantastic band who I had never seen live, they are also a band who I thought had more than likely split up years ago.
Getting the opportunity to see The Faint live is like finding £20 in your crumpled up jeans. It’s win win. You can spend that £20 however you want to without judgement from bank managers. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for musical individuality and expressing yourself through your choice of listening, but The Faint are, well, kinda gay. I love The Faint, but actively seeking them out in a town like Brighton really sends off the wrong signals. This is why the £20 analogy is so pertinent. Judgement free music at its very best.
I am, of course, late, so I miss their opening of ‘Agenda Suicide’. When I finally make it in, I am a little disappointed. When you haven’t seen a band before, you build up pictures in your head of what they might be like live. Sometimes a performance is all you want, sometimes you want a show. I expected glitter, fireworks, bubbles and obviously confetti. All I’m confronted with is a jazzy background and some funky goggles.
The expected razzmatazz isn’t there, but it turns out that it’s not really needed. The set is solid. There’s a fair amount of stuff in there that I can’t place, probably because it’s new or maybe because I’ve a had a few beers. Probably too many.
As nice as it is to hear new material from bands you thought weren’t around anymore, it’s even nicer to hear songs you love being played live into your ears for the first time. I find myself dancing. Actually dancing in a public space to older material. This is really a big deal. Singing along might have been a bridge too far and yet ‘Worked Up So Sexual’ has me singing along like a twelve year old girl at a High School Musical screening.
I have never had so much fun at a gig. Well, I have never had so much fun at a gig sober. I suppose that’s really what you’re looking for in a live performance. If you want to enjoy someone’s music, buy their CD. If you just want to enjoy yourself, go see The Faint.