Flying Foxes

Flying Foxes have immense potential. They write great little pop songs that are full of energy and have delightful hooks. That's why it's so disappointing to see them wasting this potential away. You see, their recorded material is filled with a variety of interesting sounds. At times it will be a subtle keyboard riff or perhaps the chiming of a glockenspiel or triangle, but whatever these sounds might be, they're there and they really help to flesh out their music. But when they play live, they lack this. They play as a three-piece which only leaves room for bass, guitar and percussion. This really baffles me. If they included a keyboardist, they could instantly add more flavour to their sound. They occasionally try to make up for this with an iPod, but it just isn't the same. They also play with a heavily distorted bass. Now after watching Dappled show off their new material, I know that this can be used to brilliant effect. But Flying Foxes use it for every song and it quickly gets old. The result of these two issues is a sound that feels dry and empty and falls well short of expectations. I hate to be so negative, because overall, Flying Foxes are great. I'm really looking forward to watching them again and seeing how they've evolved. It's early days yet, so hopefully in time they'll address their issues and really be able to take off.

Lost In Low Cloud (demo)

One things for sure, Flying Foxes know how to put together a good bill. I've been featuring a number of the bands playing as they're all high class. If you're in Sydney this Saturday, don't miss it. See this poster for details.