Rockfreaks.net

support DIET
author LF date 19/04/16 venue Huset, Copenhagen, DEN

Indie/emo rockers Foxing released one of my favorite records of last year with their sophomore album ”Dealer” and it would be somewhat of an understatement to say I was delighted to see them include a Danish date in their Spring tour plans this year. This show marks their very first performance in Denmark, one I sure hope will not be the last. Their support tonight is a Danish band that I have not heard mention of before, evidently because they are a brand new band that hasn’t played that many shows yet as far as I can find out. Both bands strike a great figure tonight though so let’s get right to it.

DIET

Unfortunately for DIET, the duo is struck by illness and thus, we get a solo version of them tonight. As I haven’t seen them before, I don’t have any sort of "full experience" to compare it to, but solo-DIET definitely does a pretty good job on his own. He sings and plays his acoustic guitar as well as the harmonica in some songs, and the music brings out allusions to classic American singer-songwriters even though his high-pitched, somewhat nasal voice and dramatic delivery points more in the direction of emo-singers like Andrew Jackson Jihad. His lyrics are not as dramatic or morbid as that, though, but rather mostly catchy, simple and melancholic like in "1994" which looks back on better times or "Nico" about an all-consuming love. He performs very much to the point with a no-frills attitude and speaks quickly in between songs as the set steadily progresses. The audience in the semi-filled venue mostly sit and relax around the tables along the walls rather than stand in front of the stage but they clap excitedly nonetheless and the applause as DIET ends his set proves that he has successfully piqued the interests of most here.

Foxing

At the time when Foxing begin their set, the amount of people in front of the stage has expanded markedly and with a semi-limited view behind some taller dudes in the front, I get ready to sing along to some of the very best emo songs of recent years. Foxing flirts with post-rock in their music as well which makes for songs that are very carefully knit together and for this relatively small venue, they have a lot of different instruments with them that have to be balanced in the sound mix. Apart from drums, bass, and two guitars they also have keyboards, a violin and on occasion a trumpet or a melodica. All this works out just perfectly, though, and even the very first songs sound meticulously crafted in this live setting with all details and instruments coming through clearly.

Their somewhat calm and floaty songs get a nice rhythmic punch when performed live, and especially the energy in the performance of their lead guitarist who throws himself around brings awareness to some pretty wild pieces in their music that are otherwise downplayed and lie just beneath the surface of the calmer exterior. This is most evident during the older song "Bloodhound" halfway through the set which really makes an impression tonight. In describing their music with a word like calm, it should be noted that I don't mean that in any relaxed sense, quite the contrary as their vocalist’s very emotional and dramatical singing, often in falsetto, shines here even more impressively than on record. When he intentionally breaks into little screams of desperation for instance notably in "Glass Coughs" or "Rory”, the front rows of the audience respond by similarly singing a little louder, and throughout the set, there exists a kind of organic bond between them.

There are many beautiful moments during this compact one-hour set and none of the songs fall through at any point, even though some notes in the beginning of the set are not hit as cleanly as they perhaps should be. The touching and devastating "Indica" about the toll of war on a soldier’s mind and conscience makes for a magical moment towards the end of the set. We get no encore even though the audience clearly wants more. The band does, however, hang out for some time after the show to talk to everyone, thus only enhancing the impression I have of them (until now based solely on the way they handle themselves online) as one of the sweetest and most easily likeable bands around.

Setlist:

• 1. The Medic
• 2. The Magdalene
• 3. Eiffel
• 4. Glass Coughs
• 5. Redwoods
• 6. Bloodhound
• 7. Three On A Match
• 8. Night Channels
• 9. Indica
• 10. Rory