Fun Lovin’ Criminals + Cantaloop @ The Institute, 25th February 2016

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Fun Lovin’ Criminals are a thing apart these days. For instance I don’t know if the people who regard themselves as cool, think that it’s cool to think that Fun Lovin’ Criminals are cool. Twenty years ago there was no argument. Huey Morgan was the epitome of smooth, cool and New York edginess, Brian “Fast” Leiser displayed ridiculous talent and erstwhile drummer Steve Borovini looked the part and even had a name straight out of a Scorsese or Tarrantino movie. Everyone wanted a piece of Fun Lovin’ Criminals.

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Their first two albums, with their tales of gangsters, shadowy doings, drugs and violence had a uneasy plausibility about them, as if the three guys on stage were indeed close associates of John Gotti; perhaps wannabe gangsters themselves. Plus they were doing something that was at 90 degrees to the Brit Pop phenomenon. Whilst our mates Noel and Liam were belting out three-chord Beatles copies, Fun Lovin’ Criminals were bringing a weird combination of sophistication and street savvy. The mixture of loops and samples, underpinning a blues and rock vibe with the mostly spoken vocal; sometimes rap and sometimes poetry, was something different.

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Celebrity, money and a job on Radio 2 can burst that bubble of cool. I don’t think Huey would need to owe some Korean bloke $1.50 these days, and the sharp suits and gold are a little bit at odds with rough street tales. But ten million album sales are testament to their popularity and their endurance. I really don’t think that anyone can do what they do as well as them; or even the same as them. Would-be copyists have come and gone but these guys are still here.

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The first section of the evening was dedicated to Come Find Youself, the album that kick-started their success and allowed Huey to buy his black Les Paul for cash, rather than having to hustle the guy to get it. His patter was full of these tales, and he seemed eager to be reminiscing. Fast, and Leicester’s own “Uncle” Frank Benbini had other ideas interrupting him, starting songs early, and at some points just giving him a hard time.

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Always harder and louder than on record the standards The Fun Lovin’ Criminal, Scooby Snacks and King Of New York went down as expected. They could have been written yesterday. As could I Can’t Get With That, with Huey getting serious out of his “Radio 4 bubble” in the preamble to one of their more thoughtful tunes, referring to his stint in the Marine Corps and how twenty-odd years after writing the song there had been no change. The “wing-tips” still have the power, people are still killing one another and while he thought he was doing the right thing serving his country – “I thought I fought for what was right. But in the end, my friend, 20-20 is hindsight”.

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They have always had good support bands. I remember once they found some guy busking outside a subway station; just this bloke with a boombox, doing some weird parody of Vegas cabaret mixed with rhythm and blues.  His name is Brad; Big Bad Brad. He ended up supporting them in their European tour opening with his own version of the Cream classic, amending the lyrics to “I’m So Brad; I’m so Brad.. I’m Brad, I’m Brad etc.”.  You can guess the rest. He was certainly memorable and the same can be said about tonight’s support Cantaloop; but for different reasons.

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Those who know tell me these guys have been around for ages. I feel that I have been missing out. Their tag line is Funk! Soul! with a Hip Hop Smile! and they have all of that in abundance.  But what I really like were the jazzy bits. The horn section even seemed to go all Dave Holland at one point. Five blokes made a huge sound and front man Dannie Dee proved to be one of those infuriatingly talented people. Not only has he got a tremendous voice but then proceeded to rip up the bass as well.

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The problem with playing the songs from an album in order is that the live setting is different from your living room or your headphones. Fun Lovin’ Criminals’ Come Find Yourself is a great album but the last couple of songs are the more mellow and low key of those on offer. As a result the end of the first set seemed a bit of an anti-climax but FLC put that right by taking only a short break and finishing the job with Coney Island Girl.

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Then it was greatest hits part two; Loco, Korean Bodega, Love Unlimited and the rest. All great songs but twenty years on, that first album is what they are all about; for me at any rate.

 

Set List – Fun Lovin’ Criminals:

The Fun Lovin’ Criminal

Passive/Aggressive

The Grave and the Constant

Scooby Snacks

Smoke ‘Em

Bombin’ the L

I Can’t Get with That

King of New York

We Have All the Time in the World

Bear Hug

Come Find Yourself

Crime and Punishment

Methadonia

 

Coney Island Girl

Loco

Up On The Hill

Korean Bodega

Love Unlimited

Big Night Out

 

Review; Ian Gelling

Photographs: Stephanie Colledge

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