The Fratellis

Guest Reviewer: girlattherockshow aka Rhian
Band(s): The Fratellis, The Rumblestrips
Venue: London Astoria
Date: 30 August 2007
Website: www.thefratellis.com
MySpace: To be added
Label: To be added
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks Guest Reviewer Exclusive

Review

I’d been trying to win tickets to see the Fratellis for a few weeks, when I decided that this would be the last time [although, I’m sure I said that a few times already] that I text messaged in… “10 Rhian, Pigeon Detectives, Take Her Back”.
The rules were text in your song request, with the number 10 to start and your name, to be in with a chance to win tickets to see The Fratellis as a part of XFM’s Birthday Gigs. This time was different, however. It was being done illegally…I was driving and texting at the same time! Thinking that maybe I’d forgotten my name or the number 10 at the beginning, I had no hope, but just 15 minutes later, I had a missed call from a strange number and a voice mail message. I decided to let my boyfriend listen to the message for me.

The Rumblestrips, best known for their song “Boys and Girls [In Love]”, making an appearance in Simon Pegg’s “Run, Fat Boy, Run”, opened for the Fratellis. They are a relatively new band from Devon, England. Even though they’ve known each other since they were kids, they have had their current line up since 2004 and their debut album was released in the UK in 2007 [see picture to right].

The band seemed to have a large following of fans there, mainly young girls between 12 and 16 years old, with dyed black hair, strange shaped fringes and more black eye liner than Amy Winehouse with lots of black eye liner on! Lots of screaming ensued as the band took to the stage, and started up with their first song.

After only hearing the Rumblestrips music on the radio, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of their music live, as well as lyrically, but didn’t really know much to sing along to, and was a bit left out of the larger crowd! Their best known song, “ Girls and Boys In Love” being their finale was well played and went down a treat after their cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Boys Are Back In Town”.

As it was an 18+ gig [or be accompanied by an adult], there was a wide range of people there from the screaming and fainting 13 year olds to me, a ripe old age of 19, to the middle aged winners and the kid’s parents…oh and my gig-buddy of 41! The bar, needless to say, was well frequented by us and managed to completely break the bank by buying a glass of coke for £1.50…it was only about 3 mouthfuls of coke! So, after that, we were on the water!

In between bands, I popped to the loo, to find sobbing girls, heart broken that they were dumped and that “Girls and Boys in love was OUR song!” and the other sobbing kiddies crying because “He touched me! He touched my hand!” and proceeded to faint. I thought enough was enough and pushed past a few to get to a cubicle.

Fratellis came on stage with their Fratellis flags…great for a prop, not so great when they’re flying in front of your face and the photographers weren’t particularly happy! Because they’ve only released one album, all their songs sounded familiar to me, so I wasn’t alone in singing along!

Chelsea Dagger, needless to say, was their finale, with a good line up of songs that I knew so well and others I wasn’t so word-perfect on, but a good mix of well known and unreleased songs. Unfortunately, the set-list is a bit of a haze to me, but I believe they played their entire track list from their current album “Costello Music”.

I’d give the gig a great big 8 out of 10, but at least one of those stars is down to the fact I’d not been out in ages and I had good company! A good band to see live, if you get the chance, but watch out for the creepy, fainting kiddies!

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