It Was Amazing. Fink and his Brno Premiere

12 November 2015, 9:00
It Was Amazing. Fink and his Brno Premiere

Fink's last album Hard Believer played a special chord: it excited existing fans and attracted many new ones. It is quite difficult to find a record, the quality of the content of which would hold up from the first to the last song and would maintain a high, not only musical, level from the initial tones to the finish. However, Hard Believer fulfils this without an exception. The complexity and urgency of the music and lyrics permeates the entire record and the desire of the listeners to hear this all live brought Fink to the Czech Republic for the fourth time this year. After Prague, even Brno got its concert.

The evening was opened by She Drew The Gun as a special guest of the entire fall tour. The trio of musicians led by Louisa Roach created the true British atmosphere at Fléda. The honey-sweet voice of the frontwoman resembled Katie Melua and a few of her own songs kept the attention of the Czech audience despite her Liverpool accent, for which Luisa jokingly apologized. In addition to the two guitars, an acoustic bass and lots of effects, the atmosphere of her performance was also accompanied by good projection and, based on the reaction of the audience, the band definitely found a few new fans in Brno.

For musicians like Fink, performing at a new location and basically in a “small town” is something like a first date. At the beginning, there is a little mutual introduction and after a short or long checking out the mutual affection, both parties are more or less sure whether it makes sense and whether it will lead to something more or not. An hour and a half of increasingly intensive emotions indicated that there could be a future for Fink and Fléda.

Most of the night's repertoire naturally came from the latest record but it was successfully seconded by its studio predecessor Perfect Darkness. However, the entire Fink's concert opened with the latest single Fall into the Light included in the compilation Horizontalism. Right from the beginning, it was obvious that the band likes performing at Fléda. The audience listened quite perceptively to the focused performance of the musicians but the ice finally broke aptly after the song Warm Shadow. And when the song Hard Believer followed, a final decision on their mutual affection was made.

The musicians obviously enjoyed their harmony and when they invited a bassist from the previous band to join them for the song Wheels, Fink did not forget to make a comment about the old and new school. Tim Thornton, who was combining drums with the guitar through the night, sat down behind the cajón and energy was pulsing through the concert hall. The song escalated so much that the frontman himself enthusiastically and spontaneously (audibly for the front rows) praised his colleagues' performance by saying: “It was great!” Everyone under the stage would undoubtedly second it as well. The mood did not drop even during the slower pieces, such as Truth Begins where polyphonies sounded amazingly. They occurred several times during the evening.

Sort of Revolution. The audience did not plan on leaving without a bonus and so they heard Berlin Sunrise before heading out. I think that the band was willing to add another bonus, because songs such as Shakespeare were not played but maybe because of the working week and rushing to catch the midnight bus, the audience scattered almost immediately. However, the musicians relatively quickly moved into the foyer and very pleasantly communicated with those who stayed.

The very good sound throughout the evening is also worth noting. The ideal overall volume and balance of the instruments themselves with a feeling for Fink's somewhat intimate music with simple non-coloured lighting added to the purity of the entire performance and enhanced the atmosphere of the entire concert. It was an experience in all aspects.

Fink, She Drew The Gun. 10 November 2015, Fléda, Brno

Photo by Luba Mrkvica

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