American indie folk band Fleet Foxes arrived in Edinburgh for their first night in the UK, hard on the heels of a multi-date US tour and they brought the energy to light up a grey Scottish night.
The night was kicked off by the talented, charming and funny Uwade Akhere who, alone on the large Usher Hall stage, had the audience enthralled from her first song, the 50s jazz inspired Nostalgia which ended with a huge cheer, amazing for a support artist most were hearing for the first time. This was followed by the intimate and warm Do You See the Light?, a beautiful song about her father, The Man Who Sees Tomorrow and a song about her unrequited love Belvedere.
She appeared embarrassed by the huge reception her first outing of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams got then closed with the upbeat Ginger Ale. If you get the chance to see her, take it.
You can tell you’re in for an interesting evening when the roadies tape the set list down and it’s two A4 pages long! In the end the band played 23 tracks over the next two hours.
The band was greeted by a huge cheer and Robin Peckfold welcomed Uwade back onto the stage for Fleet Foxes first song, Wading in Waist-High Water. This warm, sophisticated song gave the audience a hint of what was to come, extraordinary tight multi-layered vocals, amazing musicianship supported by the powerful horns of The Westerlies. And floating over everything, Peckfold’s intricate lyrics – Summer all over/Blame it on timing/Weakening August water/Loose-eyed in morning/Sunlight covered over/Wading in sight of fire.
Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006 the band consists of Robin (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals), Christian Wargo (bass, guitar, backing vocals), and Morgan Henderson (upright bass, guitar, woodwinds, violin, percussion, saxophone). The Westerlies provided the dynamic horns and vocals.
Songwriter Robin has a wide range of musical influences and at times you could hear hints of Simon and Garfunkel, Dylan and Leonard Cohen in songs like Featherweight, the vocal harmonies of the Everly Brothers, Crosby, Stills and Nash and The Byrds in Your Protector and the quirky psychedelia of the Zombies in Third of May/Ōdaigahara. What may be more surprising are the songs with hints of 70’s Yes/Floyd pomp and wild 30s jazz.
But Fleet Foxes are more than the the sum of their parts, as these influences are brought together creating the unique Fleet Foxes sound – instantly recognisable across their songs from the anthemic Mykonos to the ethereal Sunblind. The band has been touring the US over recent months so, of course, they are tight. But their superb musicianship can’t be overstated. Superb vocals – at times, such as on White Winter Hymnal and Drops in the River all 9 musicians were providing complex harmonies and amazing instrumentalists able to move between instruments and genres with ease and joy. It’s clear that all the musicians love the intricacy and impact of these stunning tunes.
It is the variety of styles and Robin and the band’s authenticity which enthrals the audience through the concert. The night was filled with great songs, Sunblind, which saw Robin’s plaintive vocal working with the chorus of horns created an enormous impact in the room and the opening notes of Ragged Wood were greeted by cheers from the crowd.
But the highlights were the huge show stoppers, Mykonos, obviously, but belters like Can I Believe You or A Long Way Past the Past have the audience on its feet. Twice in the evening there was a change of tone where Robin took centre stage to perform Blue Spotted Tail and
Judee Sill cover The Kiss and later in the encore Montezuma.
The lighting and video backgrounds added further depth and emotion to the musical performance often in a really visceral way.
It seemed like the band really enjoyed their night with Robin thanking the audience for their enthusiastic support. With 23 songs showcased by Fleet Foxes and a great support set from Uwade, this was a special impactful evening for this delighted Edinburgh crowd that will be long remembered.
Words: Graeme White @head_in_the_bass_bin
Pictures: Alan Petrie @albabrae