FM
Confession time – back in the 80s I was never a fan of either of the bands I’d be watching at the Waterfront. Even as an exclusively metal loving teen their brand of rock was far too polished and commercial for my tastes. Why was I watching them now I hear you ask? Weeellll I’ve got this thing with my mate where we try and outdo each other with the longest gap between seeing the same band. Childish and puerile perhaps, but amusing (to us) nonetheless. Having recently smashed the record, aforementioned mate arrived to retake the crown by seeing FM who he had last witnessed way back in 1987.
Even though this was an early Friday night start a very respectable crowd was already in place to watch support band Romeo’s Daughter. Like FM their sound is one of sincere melodic rock, with more than a nod to the American airwaves of the 80s where they so desperately wanted to be played during that era. I found them to be one of the most boring bands I have ever witnessed. Anodyne, bland, safe and inoffensive they made five minutes seem like an hour. I even went outside for part of their set and returned to the same lack of energy. Yes they can all play and Leigh Matty can certainly sing, but words like slick and professional mean nothing when the end product is so far away from the adrenaline rush that a live show can produce.
Turning to alcohol to help me through, I feared FM would be more of the same but happily I can say they injected more energy into the first ten seconds of their set than Romeo’s Daughter had managed during the whole of theirs. Watching them perform it was easy to understand the frustration they must have felt at their inability to crack the American market, because they certainly had all the hook laden songs with the memorable choruses. The crowd were well into them, and it was fun to be a part of that atmosphere. Lead singer Steve Overland has a seriously impressive voice, hitting all the notes with ease, guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick was excellent and drummer Pete Jupp was a stick twirling delight.
Confession time again – I watched an hour of their set and after joining in for the chorus to That Girl I decided it was time to leave just as the band were returning for their encore. After such a disappointing start to the night I really had feared the worst, but I thoroughly enjoyed the hour I spent in the company of FM and they absolutely did their fans proud. I’d spent a little bit too long overground though, so I headed to the underground and thanks to Blisster, Soyuz Rats and the mighty Magoo at Karma Kafe my night ended with the primal fix of live music I’d started the evening in search of.
