Fleet Foxes
The Prince of Wales Bandroom, Melbourne
Friday 2nd January 2009

For better or worse, on record Fleet Foxes are easy to relegate to background music. It's lovely sure, but at a glance the Seattle band can seem one-dimensional, too sterile. Static. But at a packed, hushed Prince of Wales Bandroom on Friday night the band sounded tough, driving, dynamic...damn, even powerful. Not adjectives one could ascribe their records.

Shuffling onto stage in all their flannel-shirted, bearded glory, the unassuming quintet launched into the title track from 2008 EP Sun Giant. The first thing that strikes you in the band's presence is 'Damn...these guys have got some pipes!' While simultaneously realising how infrequently you hear a real singer at a live performance. Particularly amongst the indie ilk. That Fleet Foxes have four of them harmonising through every song turns the gig into a treat from the outset, as much "feats of strength" as it is flat out enjoyable. (Lone non-singer guitar player Skyler Skjelset spends his downtime looking a little uncomfortable it has to be said.) It's almost laughable how beautiful this sound is; weaving around the pure, keening tones of frontman Robin Pecknold who regularly pushes the rooms audio equipment to its limit. Much like the Arcade Fire this wall of voice takes centre-stage, becoming all consuming until it achieves a near gospel, trance-like state. 

Once this spell was cast the band hit their straps. The "hit" 'White Winter Hymnal' was brisker than the album version, and its segue into 'Ragged Wood' lifted the transfixed crowd up a notch. Two encores (including an ancient pre-Steeleye Span cover and the twisting album highlight 'Blue Ridge Mountains') proved as much. Between songs the crowd heckled good-naturedly and were answered with increasing confidence by Pecknold. This peaked with his telling of a shared elevator ride in Melbourne with Public Enemy hype-man Flavour Flav (playing in Melbourne on the same day), finishing almost to a drum roll with "so...I knew what time it was." Then he'd strum a chord and his voice would transform into this otherworldy instrument and the room would hush until it was done and then they would yell at this man on stage who looked both terrified and thrilled at the same time until he said sheepishly "I guess it was worth coming all this way. We should start our tour here next time". Amazing show.

(Pic: Ben Gook) See more in our Fleet Foxes photo gallery