Some bands just seem ready. That Fickle Friends’ Reading set starts with a technical mishap means little when it’s followed by a performance so pitch perfect it puts most headline level acts to shame.
‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Hello Hello’ have already proved themselves as grade A bangers, but it’s a trait that runs through every track. New EP cut ‘Vanilla’ skips and slides in equal measure, ‘Cry Baby’ sets off fireworks, while ‘Glue’ prefers to drop sonic bombs from ever increasing heights. By releasing regular one-off singles that fizz on impact, Fickle Friends have built up a stockpile of thermonuclear alt-pop. Today, they’re using the lot.
As ‘Swim’ drips with icy cool, there’s a palpable feeling that Fickle Friends’ time is finally approaching. As the zeitgeist starts to turn in their direction, it’s doubtful it’ll ever catch up – they’re far too smart to let that happen – but it’s certainly catching on. All the lights are about to turn green. Just watch them go.