Fucked Up played (Le) Poisson Rouge
It usually takes years for an album to fall into the canon of “classic albums.” It can take many bands decades to cultivate a following around a particular record large enough to sell out a full venue. With David Comes to Life Fucked Up conquered this milestone within the year. Released in June of this year, by mid-November the band already sold out (Le) Poisson Rouge, the hip village night club, to play their 78-minute operatic concept album in full, in the round.
Before the end of “Queen of Hearts” - track two on David Comes to Life, the first track featuring Damian Abraham’s growling vocals - Abraham’s shirt was off and he was high-fiving front row audience members.
(Le) Poisson Rouge does not feel like a basement. But with the attitude in the air and the communication between the band and the crowd, this had a feeling not far off from all-ages, DIY, everyone’s in this together punk shows that so many of us came from. The crowd was on every side of the stage, everyone was smiling, the band trucked along and joked with the crowd (Damian foreshadowing by jokingly saying not to hold your breath waiting for “Police.”)
In past interviews Abraham has said that as he puts himself further and further into the crowd, this isn’t a way to discount the talents of the rest of the band. Certainly the technical orchestration of this record is just as crucial as the over-the-top vocals/vocalist. The band, accompanied by Calder Quartet providing the full orchestral experience, pounded away at the 18 songs of the album. Spot-on musically but still exhibiting such an intensity that only a punk band who writes 15-minute long songs can exhibit.
But any talk about a Fucked Up show cannot discredit the huge presence (heh) that Damian demands. Arm him with a wireless mic, and of course he is going to end up in the back of the room on top of the bar, or leave the hall entirely and run out to the front barroom. There was not a person at (Le) Poisson Rouge who was not at some point close enough to touch the sweaty growling frontman.
David Comes to Life has the potential to be a marathon of an album to perform in full. It’s four acts of loud guitars, growling vocals, punching drums and for a band to keep up their intensity throughout is impressive. Of course, Fucked Up aren’t new to marathon shows. When they released their last full-length The Chemistry of Common Life they put on a 12-hour show at the Rogan store. So when the final songs “One More Night” and “Lights Go Up” - both aptly named closers and two very strong songs on David - it seemed too soon for them to end.
A band like this, with a pretty extensive back catalogue and pretty die-hard fans, the time before the encore was one of the most exciting parts of the night. The band came back out (Damian once again shirted). They played a couple tracks from their first LP Hidden World. And also, as un-promised earlier in the set, they broke out “Police,” the track from an early 7’’. Within the first couple seconds of “Police” we took off from our space on the back risers and stormed the stage. Smashing up against people and swaying with the whole force of the crowd.
Leaving, with a band t-shirt in my bag, sweating underneath my hoodie, ears ringing and getting hit with the cold fall air, it really did bring back that old feeling of punk shows of my youth. And if David Comes to Life wasn’t already my top record of the year (it was and is) then this firmly solidified that for me.
