The Fratellis @ UEA

I know you know The Fratellis. I can hear you singing the madly infectious “duh-duh-da-duh”-s of Chelsea Dagger in your head right now. Taking a trip down memory lane to the grand old year of 2006, I saw them make a somewhat middle of the road return to Norwich’s UEA, showcasing new material as well as old.

Opening act The Crookes were a breath of fresh air in the musty, dark venue. Dancing flamboyantly around, stage frontman and bassist George Waite’s silky smooth vocals perfectly matched the four piece’s refreshing, tropical image. Backstreet Lovers was upbeat and romantic, with Maccabees sounding vocals and a catchy rhythm. Definitely worth catching at their headline show at the Waterfront Studio on January 7th.

Arriving on stage to a very amusing classical intro with the audience almost moshing along to a version of the can-can, spirits were high from the off when The Fratellis graced the stage. Without missing a beat, frontman Jon Fratelli kicked things off with an oldie, Henrietta, from the band’s 2006 debut record Costello Music. The reaction was explosive, with the whole dancefloor opening into one huge, messy moshpit which lasted the whole show. Other hits followed from all four of the three piece’s albums; the swaggering sound of Baby Don’t You Lie To Me! set hips shaking and feet tapping, Seven Nights Seven Days roused a hearty sing-along and Flathead stood its ground as an anthemic noughties favourite, still causing mayhem and mischief almost a decade after it was released.

Whilst new material sounded audibly just as good as the old stuff, like the mellow country-rock tune Imposters (Little By Little), the show was tainted by a lack out stage presence from all three band members. Spread far across the width of the stage and barely breaking from the songs to address their audience, it certainly seemed like something’s up in Camp Fratelli. Nonetheless, a tale about “meeting Baz about ten years ago in a dark pub in Glasgow” saw Jon lead the room into a rowdy rendition of Got Ma Nuts From A Hippie, appearing alongside other such classics as Whistle For the Choir and Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night.

Of course they saved Chelsea Dagger for the end – you knew that already – which was of course the highlight of the show, but sticking a cover of doo-wop musician Dion’s 1961 single Runaround Sue on as the closer saw the majority of the crowd lose interest and head for the door before the band had even left the stage; a clear indicator that despite their impressive discography spanning a decade this year, the Fratellis may go down in history as just another bunch of one hit wonders. But all things considered, it’s clear that with an act just as slick as ever and the perfect tunes to back them up, The Fratellis sure aren’t going anywhere any time soon.