Iceland's favourite electro nerds lay down a belter.
When a band plays their first gig in a cave, are notorious for inviting the crowd on stage for a party, and have the pluck to cover ‘Killing In The Name Of’, there’s going to be some pretty high expectations. And never ones to disappoint, Icelandic electro quartet FM Belfast perform a belter of a show at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen tonight. They appear on stage clad in bow ties and braces, a look that I'm later told was a toned down version of their earlier attempts to create a band image. Apparently the “gentleman mauled by wild animals” look was a little too hard to maintain…
It's great to see that FM Belfast already have a huge following over here, as the crowd eagerly sing the lyrics back to the band, and obey orders to “get down” when they play ‘I Can Feel Love’. It's quite something to see an entire room grinding simultaneously, and what with it being packed to the rafters, that's no mean feat I can assure you. And though there is no on-stage party, which they later assure me is the norm in Iceland, the gig is far from tame. The entertainment picks up when the group get semi-naked to ‘Underwear’, with the exception of front woman Lóa. When later questioned about her motives for modesty she laughingly tells me “it’s hard to find time to shave your legs when you are touring so intensely!” Fair play.
The indie-electro troupe plays their obligatory cover of ‘Killing In The Name Of’ and the crowd goes crazy, evidently loving the band’s take on the Rage classic. When asked how they pick songs to cover, the guys tell me it’s normally an accident. Lóa recalls coming up with the idea for ‘PUMP’: “I walked in on Árni playing this electro-riff over and over… I took the mick out of him, saying it sounded like a really slow version of Techtonics PUMP. So we just went with it.” The band manage to work in elements from a myriad of songs, and I notice a little of Beyonce’s ‘Say My Name’ in their live performance tonight.
Watching the intricacies of their live shows, it’s pretty impressive to think that they mix, master and create all their art work themselves. They have apparently “seen too many people burnt by the publishers, working really hard, producing great tracks and then getting nothing back”. Seeing the huge smiles on the sweaty faces of the group mid-performance shows just how much these guys deserve their big break. And the audience seem to agree, as when they leave the stage they're greeted by screams for an encore. They don’t let us down, and return to play one last song before they have to jet off to Europe. No rest for the wicked, hey.
FM Belfast just go to prove that when you start a band as a present for a friend and you name it after a running joke, the result can be pretty darned great. They're currently on their mammoth tour of Europe, but unless you own a jet or have dispensable travel income, I’d advise purchasing a copy of the newly UK released album, ‘How To Make Friends’, and sitting tight until they return in May.
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