Friendly Fires (w/ Wax Stag, Hockey), The Picturehouse, Edinburgh – 10th May 2009
I hadn’t listened to much Friendly Fires before wandering down to the Picture House – all I had been told to expect was “a Foals-influenced electronica spectacular”. With this expectation in mind, I felt assured that my ticket was really an investment into my continuing musical education.
The first support act, Wax Stag, a soloist drummer from St. Albans named Robert Anthony Lee, echoed Battles‘ format of flawlessly drumming over beautiful electronic noise. We experienced the sensation of sweat being shaken from our skin as he performed with impossble precision and skill, wearing a smile across his face during the entire performance. I found myself falling unexpectedly in love with him, captivated throughout his performance by his skill and by the modesty and quiet ‘thank you’s to the people who got him there. I hope this understated Scottish talent has a bright future ahead of him.
Hockey came mincing and pouting onstage, adorned with women’s jackets and cheap 80’s sunglasses which just seemed to instantly reflect their tawdry and fabricated onstage personas. As you can imagine, I found it quite hard to warm to them as they leapt around the stage like over-excited children. Poorly thought-out stage presences aside, I found myself enjoying their songs, which were very catchy and well-written; like a violently Americanised Late of the Pier. 
The audience enjoyed the set, and even though Hockey more or less ended by orgasming over their own popularity, I did find myself with a bit of a buzz, proving that you should never judge a book by its cover. Or, in this case, an electro-pop band by their tiny, tiny jeans.
Friendly Fires brought with them the air of a respectable host, and a portable vacuum cleaner which was placed silently upon an amp without further explanation. The band drifted ethereally amidst lasers and smoke, seeming disorganised and nonchalant while the crowd went crazy, before launching suddenly into their first song. This, along with an impressive lightshow, came together to create a performance of epic proportions. With their poppy-yet-haunting songs, I found myself reminded of The Killers, while lead singer Ed MacFarlane held the audience’s attention from the word “go”.
The portable vacuum cleaner’s purpose was finally made clear towards the set’s end, when it was cleverly employed, in conjuction with an electric guitar, to create a new and entirely unearthly kind of music. I was undeniably impressed by the moves MacFarlane was pulling during the instrumental sections of the songs, like Freddy Mercury reincarnate. And like Queen, I can’t help but feel that Friendy Fires are on track to become the next great anthemic band of this decade. With their 2009 tour nearly over, there can surely be nothing but great things to come in 2010.
Our Verdict:
The full photoset from the gig is up now in the Gallery, courtesy of photographer Kirstin McEwan. Props to her for battling on despite being told she couldn’t take her DSLR into the venue without press ID. – Ed.
Joni Langdale is an Edinburgh-based graphic design student. 
