The Pacific breeze was negated by FIDLAR’s fiery set Thursday night for the Filter Issue 47 release party at Vita Hill Social Club in Santa Monica. For those exiled from the scene, FIDLAR (Fuck it dog life’s a risk, what a name!) is the next great LA band. Or so they’ve been hailed by many a tastemaker over the past six months. I was highly entertained but not entirely convinced of their staying power after watching them at The Smell on Jan 10th; however, I’m officially a convert after Thursday’s set.
FIDLAR know how to conjure a state of hysteria, with twenty zealots moshing violently in front, as though the mosh were invented yesterday. In other words, the band has been playing some of the rowdiest sets in recent rock memory. Photographers clutched onto their equipment for dear life. Someone flew into me and I spilled my screwdriver all over my sweater. FIDLAR plays with a raw energy which is terrifying but also joyous at the same time. To call them a crossover band is a disservice; they rise above the punk distinctions and the Blink-182 comparisons.
The DIYDUI EP has a phenomenal replay value, and the success of an LP depends largely on its production. I wouldn’t mind hearing someone like Ric Ocasek step in and guide through sixteen songs in thirty-four minutes. Especially when you hear new song “No Waves”, the pop potential is readymade. And few bands have more at stake than FIDLAR. Their trajectory will be more clearly defined after their eight! SXSW shows next month. Until then, FIDLAR will be getting fucked up, having a good time, and playing the fast, fun, abrasive music they want to play in the overarching Bill Haley tradition. Fuck it dog, life’s a risk. *by Chris Gedos
FIDLAR – No Waves
Rating: 8.9
Reviewed by b3
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