The LaFontaines @ o2 Institute, 18th June 2019
With festival season in full swing, it often gets quieter over this period however there’s always a few gems that crop up and last night it was The LaFontaines at the O2 Institute 3 in Birmingham.
Opening the show were London rock duo Anavae, who were a three piece in the live environment consisting of lead vocals, guitar, keys and drums. This did however include a whole load of backing track which often overpowered the instruments being played on stage. The band added something different to their set by each playing live percussion on stage at various points during their performance, and this gave them more of a presence than your usual support affair.
The LaFontaines had been posting about poor tickets sales in Birmingham in the few weeks leading up to the show, however these worries certainly didn’t hold true both in terms of attendance but more so in terms of the fantastic reception the band received. Playing a mixture of tracks from their three albums, the now three piece had the crowd in the palm of their hand with their energetic and fast paced set. Tracks such as ‘King’ & ‘Under The Storm’ were received like old friends whilst newer tracks from latest album ‘Junior’ showcased a band moving forward and evolving their unique sound. It’s lead vocalist Kerr that’s perhaps the band’s strongest asset in the live environment, not missing a word from his rapped vocals whilst playing hype man and getting in amongst the crowd throughout the evening.
It was clear by the end of the evening that the band had no need to worry about the show, the stars were aligned and it all worked out just fine.
Reviewer: Dan Earl