PHOTOS FROM THE GIGS HERE
THE SAVOY - Cork 27/11/2007
As those of you who have been to a live gig before know, the guys are always good, but this was a great gig.
Cantaloop were supporting - and they played an awesome set, including their new single 'Brotherhood', and were joined on stage a couple of times by one of their old band members... Frank! They seemed to go down really well with the slowly growing crowd, and Danny and the rest of the band did a great job at warming things up nicely!
FLC took to the stage, starting with 'Korean Bodega' and played a great set right through to 'Big Night Out' which they did for the encore. Huey was on particularly great form and played some jaw-dropping solos throughout the set. Frank was getting a lot of attention from a group of girls at the front, much to his personal enjoyment (wonder if he kept the knickers? ), while Fast did some quality roaring on 'Where The Bum's Go'!
All in all it was a great set, and the crowd seemed to really love it. The Savoy was packed out and it made the gig even better.
We were invited up to say hello to FLC after the gig. All the guys seemed in good spirits (not the alcoholic kind obviously... aherm! ), and we at www.flcnyc.co.uk are proud to report that Huey is still cigarette free! Possibly the best $65 ever spent!
We took some pics which are now up on the site (see link above). And at the time of writing we still have to go to another couple of gigs! At the moment we are just getting ready to leave Dublin after a couple of nights here visiting some of the FLC related drinking establishments... and so we feel a little bit delicate! We're off to Portlaoise for the gig tonight, so a review will be up soon (see below).
SKY VENUE - Portlaoise 01/12/2007
This was quite an unusual venue.. Hard to find really, they don't make much of a fancy fuss about being there so we were glad we took a taxi!
Cantaloop were supporting again and before they came on the place had a kind of a school disco vibe, everybody clinging to drinks along the walls listening to Robbie Williams
It didn't really take Cantaloop long to get the floor filled up though, they're such a great live band and have a wicked knack for getting the crowd jumping. Frank joined them on stage for a couple of songs again sporting a rather fantastical afro wig.
Fun Lovin' Criminals kicked off their set with Korean Bodega again and followed pretty much the same set list as at Cork, as far as I can remember. The band sounded awesome and Huey was cheerful and chatty despite struggling with a bit of a cold. The venue seemed to be pretty well packed again with a lively crowd who were obviously loving the gig.
Aitch had her camera with her so hopefully we'll be bringing you some photos from this show soon! (See link at top of reviews)
DOLAN'S WAREHOUSE - Limerick 02/12/2007
The final night of the tour, so an odd mixture of sadness, and pleasure, at the idea of another FLC gig!
Dolan's Warehouse was a great venue - intimate, but packed to the rafters (literally) with people who seemed genuinely pleased to be there watching the band. A general observation about all the gigs is that there were so many people there who knew the songs, sang along and appreciated songs like 'Up On The Hill', 'Come Find Yourself' etc., rather than just appreciating the 'hits'.
Cantaloop were once again awesome... they really have the ability to warm up a crowd. In a similar way to the Portlaoise gig, people were a little reluctant to move to the front, until Cantaloop (with a little help from FLC's Frank) got people moving.
As with the other gigs, FLC kicked off with Korean Bodega. Huey was once again on phenomenal form, with more great solos to melt the coldest of hearts! Frank and Fast were also spot on - and the whole set was played to perfection.
Set list:
Korean Bodega
10th Street
Back On The Block
Passive/Aggressive
Up On The Hill (which went down really well)
Loco
King Of New York
Love Unlimited
City Boy
Bombin' The L
Smoke 'Em (my fave of the evening - played beautifully)
Scooby Snacks
Where The Bum's Go
I Can't Get With That
Fun Lovin' Criminal
The encore was a treat... Instead of the expected 'Big Night Out' which had ended the other gigs - FLC decided to try something a little more old school. Frank, Huey and Fast, (both grabbing their mics) were joined on stage by Danny from Cantaloop to perform an amazing version of 'Bearhug' which just finished the night to perfection. It was great to see Fast move from behind the keyboards and strut his stuff... climbing up next to Frank on the drumkit!
It was a great end to the week of gigs - it seems clear that Ireland love FLC... so hopefully they'll be back for another visit again soon!
Reviews by Aitch and Coffeebug - sending love and hugs to all involved - and now off to get some sleep!
PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE
After all the kerfuffle with the “they’re playing/they’re NOT playing” towards the end of last week, it was confirmed to us on Thursday evening that Huey and Fast would be DJing in Poland in lieu of an actual gig. So rather than waste our air fare, Aitch and I decided to head off to Poland on Saturday morning.
We arrived in Poland to glorious weather and had some chill time, after phoning Bulldog/Steev (Tour Manager) to let him know we had arrived, in the hotel before heading off to the Vena Music Festival. After what can only be described as an “interesting” walk around the back streets of Lodz (pronounced “Woodge” apparently!) and several calls to Pietr (the promoter from Warsaw) we finally arrived at the venue only to find that we had laminate passes which said “artysta” on them and we were given a VIP tour of the venue.
As it was still early and we had about an hour before the guys were due to turn up, we bought a beer and went and chilled in their dressing room before they arrived (sorry guys, we forgot to mention that!). Feeling a teensy bit guilty we decided to vacate the room before they turned up so they had a bit of space when they arrived. We went to check out some of the bands that were in the final of the competition that was running and to see who the winners were. After that we headed back to the dressing room to say hi and thank Steev for the VIP treatment he’d laid on for us. Little did we know JUST how VIP it was going to get!
Fast and Huey seemed in good spirits and grateful that we’d made the effort, despite it not being an actual gig. We were made welcome and handed glasses of Fisty’s patented ‘FLC’ tequila-based drink – and very tasty it was too…we’ll be attempting to duplicate said recipe which may involve several taste-tests later this evening with the swag from the rider that we were given as parting gifts!
The boys went on stage at 10pm, closely followed by Lexy armed with her trusty camera. Huey kicked off proceedings by playing some stonking guitar including snippets from ‘Eruption’ and we were underway! After the first track, Fast put on the Beastie Boys ‘No Sleep Til Brooklyn’ and beckoned Aitch up on to the stage to chill on the sofas behind the DJ decks as they’d been having a Beastie Boys related conversation earlier on.
Huey then explained to the bemused audience about Frank being ill and the fact that they had still wanted to come and chill with the people of Poland and at least give them something as they couldn’t give them a full gig, which we at www.flcnyc.co.uk have the utmost respect for them for doing. The crowd were not receptive and a lot of people started to leave. In a new twist on their DJing, Fisty played tunes while Huey jammed along on the guitar, but even this wasn’t enough to bring the audience back on-side, despite some kick-ass riffs! However, the boys still seemed intent on having a good time and providing a show, with Fisty mixing cocktails on the stage for themselves, us and anyone else who seemed to want one.
They took turns DJing, and played some of their own songs including, Scooby Snacks, Love Unlimited, Bump, Microphone Fiend and a track from their new album which sounded GREAT! They played for about two hours with an eclectic mix of music from AC/DC (a Huey favourite) to Justin Timberlake.
Still the audience weren’t satisfied and some even turned nasty, gesturing aggressively with their fists and/or raised middle fingers, much to the annoyance of the boys and the disgust of us who were on-stage throughout the whole set and witnessing it all happening. Despite the negative reaction, Huey and Fast continued to DJ and act in a professional manner, and towards the end of the evening Huey went down into the audience twice to chat to people who had remained and been supportive, having his picture taken with a great many of them.
Although the audience had been expecting a full FLC gig, we were surprised by their hostile reaction as FLC could have cancelled altogether, but instead chose to come and DJ in some kind of recompense. Personally, Aitch and I had a brilliant time - dancing on the stage to the tunes and chatting away to the boys between DJing sessions and it was a shame that their efforts were so unappreciated by the majority of the crowd. Obviously, Frank’s illness was unavoidable, and we thought it was a great start to their DJ sets starting next week and going through into October.
We’d like to thank Steev for the passes and Huey and Fast for their hospitality (again!) and their lovely company. We had a brilliant time guys. We missed you Frank and hope you get well very soon.
Lexy and Aitch – very tired and hoping not to have to undertake any air travel now for at least a little while!
Wow! Can I start a review with wow? As Huey said himself after the gig "...better than Belgium…" - and he was SO right.
Firstly, we have to mention Kilkee – it is absolutely beautiful. We didn't get there until the late afternoon, having had quite a drive from the airport, but when we went down to the beach-side, sat outside the pub, with a Guinness in our hand, and watched the sun set, it really couldn't have been any more perfect!
The Cois Fharraige festival is in it’s first year, and to be blunt it showed. There were a few issues - like the struggle to get the guest list sorted out (but thanks Mr. B!) and the ridiculous policy with the press passes whereby Lexy could only pick up her pass from the desk 5 minutes before FLC were due on and then had to be “escorted” down to the press pit with the other photographers with only about a minute to spare!
The security staff were also far too strict and overbearing, to the point where they kept standing up on the crowd barriers, completely blocking the view of the stage, just to glare at people who were, in the main, just being a bit over-boisterous and having a good time - let’s hope they lighten up a bit next year.
But the gig itself was another matter entirely!
FLC were due to go on at 10.45pm, and almost made it to the stage on time! From the second they stepped out on stage, though, you could tell this was going to be a good ‘un!
The set list as far as we can remember (forgive us for any omissions and errors in running order!):
Korean Bodega
King of NY
Back on the Block
City Boy
Loco
Come Find Yourself
Passive Aggressive
Love Unlimited
Smoke ‘Em
Scooby Snacks
Blues for Suckers
Friday Night
Where the Bums Go
Ballad of NYC
Bombin’ The L
The Fun Lovin’ Criminal
Encore:
Foxy Lady
Big Night Out
In fact, we’re certain that wasn’t the running order, but due to lack of time/organisation we didn’t manage to sneak a copy of the set list this time around – and Lexy thought that purloining Huey’s when he’d only just started playing might be a bit on the cheeky side!!
It was obvious pretty early on that the boys were here to enjoy themselves, with all of them being in fine form both mood-wise and musically.
Fast was all over his area of the stage, practically moshing over his keyboard during King of New York, and playing the bass and trumpet with gusto! It seemed there were issues with his bass pedals early on, but it was resolved very quickly and nobody’s buzz was broken. This reviewer still finds it quite mind boggling watching Fast onstage with the amount of things he seems to be doing at once! What a guy!
Frank was in great form too, really giving his all behind the drums and showing the Irish crowd what a great voice he has. When they came back on for the encore he was running all over the stage, “shared” his drink with the audience and threw some drumsticks out for good measure before taking his place behind the kit again. And at the very end of the set, trashed his kit in grand old Keith Moon style, ran off stage, high-fiving Guy as he went!
And what to say about Huey? He was clearly having a great time and musically, it is the best we have seen him for a long time. There were some outstanding guitar solos played with precision and feeling – we were totally blown away. People seem to forget that Huey is first and foremost a musician and a very accomplished guitarist. His regular appearances in the tabloid gossip columns in the past seem to have detracted somewhat from people taking him seriously enough as a musician, but for any doubters in the audience, he must surely have done enough on Friday to show them just how good he really is?
The tent was absolutely packed to the rafters and the crowd were clearly up for it and wanting to have a good time, and we think it’s safe to say that Fun Lovin’ Criminals gave them that. A fitting end to what had obviously been a good day – fantastic music and no rain!!
Thanks again to FLC and their marvellous crew for their hospitality. This reviewer has seen them four times this year so far, and that has to be the best gig yet in my humble opinion. Can they top it in Poland? We’ll have to wait and see! As always, we’ll do our best to keep you posted here on www.flcnyc.co.uk.
Review by Lexy (with a little bit of help from Aitch!)
CrammerocK was another 'unusual' venue for FLC. Although they have played Belgium many times, Crammerock was set in the middle of a small town, 18 miles from Antwerp with 6000 visitors over the weekend.
Early on in the evening we managed to hook up with kbr, fellow resident of The Lounge. It was great to have a beer and a chat with you, and thanks for the pics already (and for the little present you handed over during the set )! Hopefully we can do it again soon - either back in Belgium or over here in the UK.
There was one tent operating a relay system of bands with stages at either end. While Viva La Fete were playing at one end, we were watching Annie and the boys struggling to set up, due to technical problems at the other. This meant FLC arriving on stage a little later than scheduled, and as if this hadn't been stressful enough, as they began their set with King Of New York, the sound desk decided to reset itself, losing all the hard work the tech crew had done for the previous 45 minutes.
Also during the first song, some twat in the crowd decided to throw a bottle in Huey's direction. Let's just say the look on Mr Morgan's face said it all.
After a 'ropey' start to the set, with Huey's jet-lag appearing to be overwhelming him, FLC moved onto Korean Bodega, and almost as soon as the intro kicked in it seemed like there was a change for the good. The crowd were warming up nicely, and Huey almost managed to crack a smile.
City Boy was next and by now we were back into the FLC groove! Good times!
FULL SET LIST:
King Of New York
Korean Bodega
City Boy
Love Unlimited
Back On The Block
Loco
Passive/Aggresive (Lexy's fave of the night)
10th Street
Where The Bum's Go (Woah-oh-oh-oh)
Blues For Suckers (Bearhug)
Scooby Snacks
Smoke 'Em (played to perfection - all lyrics present and correct! Congrats Mr Morgan! )
Come Find Yourself (my fave of the night)
Big Night Out
Fun Lovin' Criminal
We almost missed out on Fun Lovin' Criminal, when Huey thought he'd finished after Big Night Out and had started to take the guitar over his neck when Fast gave him a gentle reminder with a 'Yee-haw'!!!
It seemed that the guys eventually started to have real fun on stage, put the earlier 'issues' behind them and started to smile and grin at each other as always. Passive/Aggressive and Come Find Yourself were the stand out moments - although Where The Bum's Go again appeared to be a crowd favourite (everyone raise your rock hands in the air accordingly). Huey finished Fun Lovin' Criminal with a stupendously played snippet of Eruption - which kicked ass. And all too quickly the set was over... bad times
CrammerocK were a nice crowd, they made FLC very welcome (as they did to us), although in this girl's opinion there should have been far more bouncing!
Lots of press there to take pics (including Lexy) and there were also cameras filming the set at either side of the stage. Don't know whether it was the lovely warm weather, the large amounts of beer, the friendly Belgian hospitality, Lexy's fab company, hanging out with FLC and their brilliant crew or the sheer adrenaline rush of once again seeing FLC play live - but I had a bloomin' awesome time!
As Frank had very kindly arranged for us to be guestlisted (at incredibly short notice) we spent quite a bit of time backstage chatting and blagging beer/smokes from FLC and the crew (REALLY sorry Guy!)
There were many highlights - being greeted with huge hugs and appreciation for the crazy effort we had made getting to Belgium with 12 hours notice from all the band, watching Fast play frisbee with one of the other artist's young daughters (sooo cute), seeing Huey get out of the minibus looking a bit 'peaky' and 'jet-lagged' (we still don't quite know how he made it through til the end), pointing out Huey's spillage on his shirt (Lexy apologises), watching Frank cut Bulldog's (Steve - Tour Manager) hair round the back of the tour bus, Guy's new Mohican (also apparently styled by Frank ), Fast telling us he doesn't have internet access at the moment , late night drunken frisbee with Annie (I will be in training until Friday for a serious rematch!), and Guy's generous leaving gifts to us (which nearly got me into trouble on our way back to the airport )
We managed to spend some time talking to members of the crew that we haven't really had a chance to before. Big hugs to Neil - the equipment truck driver who is one of the nicest guys Lexy and I have ever met - thanks so much for helping us out with the beers from backstage when we were stuck on the front row - the others on the front row were impressed by the VIP treatment! The risotto is on us next time! Hello to Micky the tour bus driver - hope you managed to get the 9 hours kip you were owed! Big love to Annie - she was so much fun after the gig while the boys were chilling in the bus - kept us entertained with cool stories and the frisbee!
Stayed after the set until around 2.30 - the techno band on stage were just winding up for the night - so I was tired of throwing shapes - so Lexy and I decided to say our goodbyes and make our way back to Antwerp and our beds (and the tiniest cup of tea you have ever seen!) Yes people.... that's how rock and roll I am - travel to Belgium with half a days notice, but still need my cuppa after a wicked night watching the band. Good times
Thanks to FLC and the fab crew for their help, company and for making it such an awesome weekend.
Special thanks from Lexy and I to Frank, cos otherwise we wouldn't have got in after all that travelling - and except for VLM who charged me the most obscene amount of money to get to the gig... but as always (and cos i'm slightly mental) I have to say it was worth every single bloody penny!
I'm off to see the guys again on Friday in Ireland - I hope that it's a smoother ride for all involved this time!
FLC = Best live band EVER!!!!
Review written by Aitch and Lexy - feeling tired and emotional!
FLC drummer Frank with the Leicester based band Fatal Star played twice recently in their home town as part of the Summer Sundae music festival.
Frank and his bandmate Na'im first played an acoustic set at the Fringe Festival on Thursday night - followed by a cracking DJ set to end the night perfectly. Read a review in our forum, The Lounge.
Then onto Saturday, when the pair were joined by the rest of the band to perform a mixture of Fatal Star and Uncle Frank songs to a crowded tent at the festival. Again, flcnyc.co.uk were there - so read what they said in the forum here.
PHOTOS FROM THE FATAL STAR SET ON SATURDAY HERE
FLC Live at the Junction, Cambridge – 18th July 2007
Some of us from flcnyc.co.uk went along to see the boys play at the Junction on Wednesday evening. It was a perfect summer evening in Cambridge and there were lots of people hanging around in the area around the Junction so we took the opportunity to hand out some flyers telling people about our lovely new site!
The boys came on to loud cheers and started their set with Passive Aggressive. It was really great to hear one of the older tracks kick off the concert. They were on superb form, Huey was laughing and joking with the crowd and they were clearly having a great time. Gaz Birtles (from The Beautiful South and Yellowbelly) was there to provide some wonderful saxophone for Up On The Hill – it’s lovely when he’s there as it really makes that song for me (being a saxophone player). Go check out Gaz’s MySpace site.
Everything got predictably a bit bouncy for Where the Bums Go and Scooby Snacks and they followed that with an amazing rendition of Come Find Yourself, which I particularly love live.
When it came to Smoke ‘Em, they obviously didn’t because of the smoking ban which is now in force – in fact, they managed to get through the entire gig without smoking! Huey had a bit of a struggle remembering the lyrics to Smoke ‘Em and Fast had to chip in and start singing the song himself, much to his own amusement and that of the crowd. Huey didn’t seem to mind that everyone was having a bit of a laugh at his expense and in fact, joined in the general merriment!
They closed the main part of the set with Big Night Out with everyone singing along, and came back on for an encore of Ballad of NYC (another of my personal favourites) and Fun Lovin’ Criminal which always brings the house down.
All in all, a terrific gig and the guys were their usual humble selves - actually clapping the audience when we were applauding them.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF FLC FROM THE NIGHT AT CAMBRIDGE CAN BE VIEWED HERE
FLC Live at The Carling Academy, Newcastle – 19th July 2007
Now I remember why the Fun Lovin' Criminals are my favourite live band.
Supported by Heroes, FLC played to a packed venue. As always I was up front and the atmosphere was great, although it seemed to take people a while to get lively - but thanks to the guy for the lager all down my back - doesn't feel like a gig without it!
The usual setlist was there - as well as Scooby Snack's and Fun Lovin' Criminal rocking The Academy audience, Where The Bum's Go seemed to go down a storm, and was the first to get people really moving. Nothing quite like hearing Fast roaring down the mic!
Huey was his usual smiling self, and chatted between songs. Personally, respect to him for Come Find Yourself - it was an excellent performance that warmed my heart to the core - and his guitar soloing was spot on all night. It was also great to hear Ballad of NYC in the encore - an incredibly well written song excellently executed by the band and full of emotion. If I were to offer one criticism, it would be that where we were at the front it was a bit tricky to hear Huey's vocals at times... but people at the back told us it had sounded fine. Luckily I know most of the lyrics - and so was singing along so loudly myself anyway!
Big respect to Frank too - man that guy can play. He was superb throughout, but a couple of times was going particularly crazy on the drum kit! He really adds something special to the set.
In contrast from the review of Cambridge, i'd also been expecting a smoke-free rendition of Smoke 'Em - but fortunately the band were feeling a little rebellious. The crafty drags on the joint were hilarious... Fast behind the keyboard, Frank behind the drum kit and Huey crouching down by the amp. The crowd loved it and applauded their actions... I just wish we could have shared the experience, but it was great to smell the aroma during the song anyway!
All too soon the set was over - but fortunately there was an aftershow DJ set to go to upstairs at the Academy. No sign of Huey unfortunately (despite his promises on stage to see us at the bar!), and Frank seemed to do most of the DJing - but some great tunes to dance too from him and Fast - mixing from Calvin Harris to the White Stripes to Prince - it was a great end to the night.
It was a great evening - and I met some great people. Lots of questions and discussions about the prospect of a new album, plus the fact that the venue was heaving with an appreciative audience... here's hoping that this is all positive signs of things to come for FLC.
FLC Live at The Picturedrome, Holmfirth – 21st July 2007
(Thanks to Aitch for this review)
The word to sum up the evening was definitely 'random' for my friend Jo and I.
Arriving to see The Picturedrome in the middle of a sleepy-Last-Of-The-Summer-Wine village (after Cambridge and Newcastle) it all seemed a little underwhelming... but I couldn't have been further from the truth about the gig itself. I can honestly say it was one of the best FLC gigs that I have been to so far. This could be partly because I knew it was the last of the UK dates, but there were many factors that made it such an amazing night.
The venue was quite small (again in comparison to the previous nights), but filled up to it's sold out capacity as the support band played. As usual, I was situated at the front, but unlike the usual I was so close to the stage I could have actually reached out and touched Fast's keyboards... I resisted the urge however! The only thing between us and the band were a few packing cases.
Another factor was definitely the crowd - so many hardcore fans were there and when Huey, Fast and Frank started with the usual 'let's go mental' tunes like Passive Aggressive, Scooby Snacks, Bombin' The L and Fun Lovin' Criminal the crowd went nuts! For the first time in a while I was actually trapped against the barrier - or I would have been if there had been one! Instead I was pushed over onto the speakers, clinging on for dear life... and loving every second of it. Highlight tunes for me were Come Find Yourself and Ballad of NYC... think I must have been in mellow mode!
The set list was the same as the previous nights, but the FLC boys seemed to really enjoy the night, and were impressed with the crowds reactions. I think they enjoyed their trip to Yorkshire, but I would like to apologise to Fast on behalf of my county-folk for the f***wit who decided to keep yelling Fast's name, swiftly followed by abuse i'm not gonna repeat here - we gave him a few jabs while we were rocking out to compensate for you man!
I think the last-night giddiness took the best turn when after the encore of Ballad of NYC and FLC the gig ended with some Frank body-popping, closely followed by him stage diving and crowd surfing! (Thanks for the kick to my arm on your way back TRM - i'll see you in court! Oh... and hope you got your sneaker back! lol)
I've possibly had the best week of my life so far going to 3 of the 4 UK FLC gigs. Each night has been amazing, once again i'm battered, bruised and exhausted... and although the driving nearly killed me (literally) I wouldn't have changed it for the world! Another 600 miles on my FLC mileometer!
Hopefully I can use this opportunity to thank some people who made it all so special - Lexy, Angie, Amer, Paula, Sue and Rich. Sorry I didn't get to see much of Nat and Nige - but next time hopefully. Naim. 32Red and Bosley. Jo - thanks for being a great mate. Guy - ta for making me laugh so much. Special thanks to Mr B. And of course Huey, Fast and Frank - keep playing the music, it makes my heart smile every time I see you guys live, so please get some more dates up soon 'cos i'm getting withdrawal symptoms already!
3 glorious pages of photos from the gig HERE
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