We’ve all done it; you say something you won’t expect to be a big deal or matter and then 10 minutes later it comes back to bite you in the ass. On March 5th I went to the Brighton Music Hall in Allston to see the British band Fanfarlo. They had been in Boston in early October, but I missed them then and had been determined to go this time. My friend and I arrived relatively early to get decent seats and check out the merchandise. We walked up to Fanfarlo’s table and my friend found a shirt she liked but the sizes were too big. She talked to the merch guy about it and decided to get the shirt anyways. We’re chatted with him for a bit and I noticed his accent. Like most Americans, I love British accents. Not the Cockney, “I drop my H’s and sound like Oliver Twist” accent, but the posh, “I’m part of the Royal Family” accent. So when I met one of the few British people that I know, what did I say to him? “I love your accent.” Real clever, Ben. He looked at me and half-laughed, meanwhile probably thinking I was an idiot. My friend gave me a look and we went to go wait by the stage for Fanfarlo. Twenty minutes later, Fanfarlo came out to a huge roar from the crowd. Guess who was behind the drumset? Yeah, the merch man. I could have asked him interview questions, shot the breeze with him, talked about London; instead I commented on his accent.
Besides that embarrassing episode, the concert was quite good. Touring in support of their just-released second album, Rooms Filled with Light, Fanfarlo started with “Replicate”, the first song off that album. It’s a slow burner of a song with lead singer Simon Balthazar’s voice the main ingredient. Cathy Lucas played the violin, and Leon Beckham followed on the keyboard, as Amos Memon and Justin Finch followed lightly in the background on drums and bass respectively. After “Replicate” however, most of the songs were quite upbeat and fast.
Fanfarlo, whose name derives from the Charles Baudelaire novella of the same name, love to fuse folk, indie, and avant-garde post-punk music together. That night I saw some electronic instruments I’ve never seen before and can’t even give a name. It wasn’t uncommon to see Balthazar, Lucas, and Beckham switch instruments each song. In a few songs Balthazar and Beckham had a small brass duo happening with the former on saxophone and Beckham on trumpet. The members of Fanfarlo are craftsmen with their instruments and were pros at creating unique and engaging sounds that excited and wowed the crowd.
The crowd seemed very into the band and the Brighton Music Hall was packed. People were dancing in the front and back of the area. Fanfarlo switched between songs from Rooms Filled with Light and their first album Reservoir. Their overall set was about an hour and a half and they left for about a minute and then came on and played two encore songs. Overall it was a really well done show. Favorites included: Their acapella version of the song “Atlas” (On Twilight: Eclipse Soundtrack), “The Walls Are Coming Down”, and “Feathers”.
By: Ben Brondsky