Music / Reviews
Review: FM, The Fleece
If it’s a sore point that FM were ridiculed and dismissed for much of their career for playing musically incorrect melodic rock that would be absolutely huge if it only reached its vast potential audience, it must be some gratification that they’re still here long after their media detractors have disappeared and the hopeless indie bands they championed have given up through lack of interest. As frontman Steve Overland reminds us tonight, FM have been going for 42 years now.
This gnarly reviewer cannot claim to be a disinterested party, as I’ve followed them for all of that time, buying their debut album, Indiscreet, the day it came out on shiny new-fangled CD format and travelling to London for their legendary Christmas shows at the old Marquee club.
is needed now More than ever
Much of tonight’s audience seems to be of a similar vintage, which gives this Bristol date on their Brotherhood jaunt the feel of a gathering of old friends, though a smattering of younger people suggests the presence of those who might have been conceived to an FM song or two (hopefully not Bad Luck or Tough It Out).
Indeed, what might come as some surprise to some of those detractors is how much fun the band still seem to be having up there, while playing some of the most irresistible melodic rock you’ll ever hear to an loyal audience that’s in the mood for a singalong. The mullets might have clamed down over the years, but the pleasure FM take in their work is infectiously undiminished.
Overland is blessed with a powerful rock voice, its range undiminished by the passing years, while equally powerful backing vocals, especially by bassist Merv Goldsworthy and underrated new boy guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick (who’s been with them for a mere 17 years), help to make the sound far bigger than the Fleece can possibly contain.
As usual, much of the set is drawn from those great first two albums, but there’s a consistency running though FM’s career that means more recent gems like Killed by Love and the fabulous Turn This Car Around fit right in. The advantage to sticking to your guns and not chasing trends has never been clearer.
All pix of FM at The Globe in Cardiff on Sept 12 by Mike Evans.
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