Future Islands – Powerstation December 16, 2017

Future Islands gave devoted fans the show they’d been waiting for at Auckland’s Powerstation last night. Packed to the rafters, in the confines of the club it felt more like a rave with almost everybody on ‘E’ – such was the love in the room for the Baltimore-based synth-rockers. Rare to see such a vocal, adoring audience.

Last in Auckland for Laneway 2015, they came on stage with little fanfare and launched into In The Fall, following up with  Ran, A Dream Of You and Me .. mining back catalogue material as the show progressed, while showcasing The Far Field, the new fifth album out this year. Long Flight, A Song For Our Grandfathers, Inch of Dust, Tin Man and Spirit made an appearance, and about 14 songs into the set, the epic anthemic Seasons – the opening strains of which lit up the crowd to another level of already fevered, fervent ardour for the man and the music on stage.

.The band has earned a reputation for its powerful live presence, especially since ‘that’ breakout performance of Seasons (Waiting On You) on The Late Show with David Letterman in 2014 .  And that’s largely down to the intense persona of singer Samuel T Herring, a charismatic, enigmatic, energetic, whirling dervish  .. one of the most mesmerising, idiosyncratic frontmen in music.

Certainly hard to take your eyes off the moustachioed, sideburned swarthy man conservatively dressed in a buttoned-up dark dress shirt and tight black jeans .. but quickly sweat-drenched and staring wildly as he gyrates and hurls his stocky body about the stage, prowling, sinking to his haunches, beating his chest incessantly and punching the air, Cossack-dancing even at one point, in a way that is unique and garners wild applause and roars of approval. Every suggestive wiggle of his snake-like hips, every shimmy, every seemingly uncoordinated, edgy, maniacal move of what is an apparently carefully choreographed stage performance. Reportedly Mr Herring studies videos of his performances to work on his ‘game moves’.  It’s an attention to detail, to his stagecraft, that makes him a strange and singular performer.

And then there’s the voice. Soulful, powerful, melodic, demonic, with his occasional trademark guttural death metal growls turning songs into something quite extraordinary. As with his bizarre dance moves, weird and unsettling yet strangely compelling. It’s him doing on stage whatever he damn well likes. A joyful unselfconscious physical expression of artistic freedom that transcends, inciting anybody and most everybody else watching to also dance like crazy, to revel in it and not give a f##k what anyone else thinks.

Coupled with such a dynamic, explosive, propulsive frontman, Future Islands have tooled their ’80s influenced electro-dance rhythms into something else ..next level synth pop-rock .. actually not pop at all ..more a grunty, dark, brooding driving force, sometimes menacing, always danceable. If Rammstein and Ultravox had a lovechild, it would be this band.

The four-piece has been together for 15 years, the last 12 as Future Islands, and their ease with one another and tightness as a band was evident. Happily leaving the spotlight to their charismatic singer, bassist William Cashion, keyboardist Gerrit Welmers and drummer Michael Lowry were a powerhouse throughout, Cashion in particular laying down constant grunty grooving basslines seemingly without breaking a sweat.

Between songs, banter was kept to a minimum ..Herring humble and clearly moved and appreciative of the warm reception and rousing welcome so far from home.

Ten months on the road so far, he said they’d been touring ..thanking the fans more than once for the love shown and their support.

Karen McCarthy

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