Shaun R
The Fierce and the Dead have been doing their thing for fifteen years now, over the course of five studio albums, five live albums and four EPs. Their current tour is to celebrate the release of Regional Theatre, the second album with bassist Kevin Feazey providing vocals. On this particular night, they’d chosen Downstairs at the Dome, an archetypical grassroots venue that really suits the grounded, down-to-earth demeanour of the band. As venues go, there’s everything a band needs. There’s a stage. A bar. A spot for merch. A big open space for your fans. That’s it. No elaborate sets, no laser shows, no animatronics or flamethrowers. Just the fans, the band and the music.
Kicking things off was a delightful new discovery, Teiger, made up of the trio of Talie Rose Eigeland ‘s dreamy vocals and guitar, Phillip Eldridge-Smith’s bass playing (and his simply amazing mane of hair), and Jon Steele’s pounding drums backing everything up. Bringing a taste of the psychedelic to the darkness of the Dome, Teiger entranced the audience with Talie Rose Eigeland’s gorgeous, breathy vocals leading the way. A little bit Bjork, a little bit Tori Amos, and entirely herself. Teiger mostly played their own tracks from self-titled debut album including ‘Hydra’, ‘The Law of Diminishing Returns’ and ‘Thinnest Wall’. There was a brief dip into Portishead‘s catalogue with a lovely cover of ‘Glory Box’ which they promise they will stop playing. Next gig. Maybe the one after.
A brief pause to rearrange things and The Fierce and the Dead took the stage, kicking things off with ‘Loungeside’, the first track of their new album. The setlist was, perhaps unsurprisingly, comprised of most of the new album, with eight of the ten tracks making an appearance. The remaining two were, perhaps, missed due to the absence of the newest member of the band, keyboardist/vocalist Tom Hunt who couldn’t attend due to illness, not that you would know the band were operating a man down.
Other tracks from Regional Theatre included ‘The 1234’, ‘Shake Hands & Exit’, ‘Thrash’ and ‘Hey Nightmare’ to name but a few while previous albums News from the Invisible World and If It Carries on Like This We Are Moving to Morecambe made an appearance in the shape of ‘Shake the Jar’ and ‘Andy Fox’, along with the fascinating story of former friend/helper of the band, who gave the song its name. He was apparently last seen walking to Milton Keynes in cowboy boots and Bermuda shorts, carrying a briefcase full of cocaine before the cops picked him up. How very old school rock and roll.
The Fierce and The Dead have an interesting stage presence. Many bands tell you how grateful they are that you’ve come out to see them, that you’ve supported them over the years, but when Kevin does it? You believe him. There’s something humble and approachable about the band, their love of music and for grassroots venues like the Dome shining through any time there was a pause between songs, sometimes due to Matt’s seemingly somewhat temperamental Les Paul guitar not quite wanting to cooperate with being retuned for the next part of the gig. Their particular brand of alternative rock is a great jumping off point for anyone new to the genre, and the band’s stage presence ensures that everyone feels welcome, whether you’re a new fan discovering them for the first time, or someone who’s followed them since their first album.
