. This sold out Koko show was postponed from last year, when one of the New York troupe got shingles while on tour in Berlin (yeah, I didn’t realise people still got […] "'Pin It")
REVIEW: THE FELICE BROTHERS AT LONDON KOKO (20/03/12)
Apparently, Felice means ‘happy’ – so it comes as no surprise that The Felice Brothers’ gigs are one big merry, hoe-down (with brief, tender, melancholic interludes).
This sold out Koko show was postponed from last year, when one of the New York troupe got shingles while on tour in Berlin (yeah, I didn’t realise people still got shingles these days either!), meaning that this performance had been a long time coming. Opening with slow-burning ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’, The Felice Brothers started where support act Craig Finn left off.
Finn, of Hold Steady fame, and his band pounded their way through some Decemberists-flavoured Americana. Fresh from the launch of his own fruit beer (in London the night before), Finn, who bears more than a passing resemblance to a World’s Greatest Dad era Robin Williams, has clearly found inspiration in his split from his wife – and no song demonstrated this more than the emotional ‘Rented Room’. Slightly disappointing not to hear his awesome cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Atlantic City but we were treated to a dose of The Boss later on in the set.
And Mr Finn re-emerged later when The Felice Brothers launched into the crowd-pleasing ‘Frankie’s Gun’ – though he was less welcome at this point. Hell, it’s one of the most iconic songs by The Felice Brothers and it woulda been nice to hear them do the whole thing – rather than share the limelight with their support! No offence Finn.
One of the great things about The Felice Brothers is the way that this motley bunch of characters come together to create a coherent single entity. There’s fiddle player Greg Farley with his jock-like demanour, busting out the urban moves; then there’s the ridiculously smiley drummer Dave Turbeville, who would not be out of place in a noughties nu-metal band with his backwards cap and baggy pants; next up is sometimes vocalist Christmas Clapton, who really looks like he should be a bonafide Felice boy (that, or Charlie Fink from Noah and the Whale’s twin); finally we’ve got the glue that binds this operation together – James and Ian Felice.
The genuine bros perform a couple of songs on their own and it proves one of the highlights of the set. You’re almost transported back into their bedroom as they spend many an hour perfecting their act before unveiling it to the world. But their music has this warm, fallible edge to it which makes it even more spellbinding.
While The Felice Brothers’ faster numbers, including ‘Run Chicken Run’ and Whisky In My Whisky’ get the crowd going, you can’t help feeling they’d be better suited to a festival environment than a Camden boozer and it is the slower Bob Dylan-tinged ballads which really hit the spot, with ‘Let Me Come Home’ almost bringing a tear to the eye. Gut-wrenchingly beautiful.
Extra points must be awarded for taking the name of a dull as dishwater car – Honda Civic – and turning it into a majestic folk song; a feat only really managed by one other man (an the man to whose Ian Felice’s t-shirt pays homage), Neil Young with Motor City. Those Felice Brothers are in good company huh?!
Words: Laura Williams
Photo: Christian Gabriel
