Show Review

Fatales Date: July 28th 2007 Venue: Asterisk (Brooklyn, NY) I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting last Saturday evening.  It's rare that I, or anyone perhaps, would venture out to see a band based on the strength of one song.  However, maybe it doesn't seem so strange considering the song. The Fatales had captured my attention with their track "Vanishing Act", a song that starts with the most minimal of digital clicks, layers on an almost haunting vocal and builds into a full-on charging flourish as melodic, energetic and beautiful as anything you're likely to find on the nearest indie station/podcast/ipod. But that said, it's only one song. So, journeying into Brooklyn to the Asterisk Art Space didn't feel like a sure thing and the closer I got to this out-of-the way space in Brooklyn the more doubtful I became.   Climbing up the stairs to find the performance space small and the bar in someone’s kitchen had me convinced I was in for a night of hipster posing. . . silly me. The Fatales are one of the first bands I’ve seen in a long time that make beautiful, irony-free rock music.  I could name a few world-wide acts that I caught momentary traces of in their music; but that would insinuate they don’t stand on their own.  They’ve created a fantastic combination of melodic indie-rock and textured soundscapes that are wholly original.  Constantly changing their approach from two synths over bass to a dual-guitar rhythm pulse – they managed to create a constant, wonderful vibe while employing a wide variety of sounds. Even a mannequin torso collapsing onto the stage (seriously) did nothing to break the strong mood the Fatales held throughout their entire set. As with a lot of small venues, the sound wasn't great, certainly not anything worth writing about.  However, it occurred to me (pleasantly in this scenario) that maybe that's not such a bad thing for a young band.  The Fatales engaged their audience through the strength of their music, and their music alone.  There'll be plenty of time for high-priced acoustics and expensive production later.  For now, the strength of the music was more than enough. The audience, as well as myself, was completely engaged for the entire set, and “Vanishing Act” proved itself to be the highlight.  If everyone else in the room wasn’t familiar with this instantly-engaging song (and the set at large) I couldn’t tell otherwise.  I’m looking forward to seeing where this band goes - when they get signed it won't just be my favorite track--it'll be everyone's. PHOTOS Author: Will Joines Photography: Will Joines [ Back to Shows Index ]