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Divine Fits’ Britt Daniel, also of Spoon, at the Fonda Theatre. Photo: David Hall, for the Register
Just before heading into Hollywood’s Fonda Theatre Sunday evening for a particularly rousing opening set from Cold Cave – more powerful than before, with a full backing band supplementing frontman Wesley Eisold’s already gripping, emotionally charged vocals – I overheard a brief exchange between the box office attendant and Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner, also vocalist and core member of this gig’s headlining act, Divine Fits.
“Sh*t got a little crazy on this tour,” he said. “Some good … some bad.”
As an avid appreciator of the outfit’s studio debut from August, A Thing Called Divine Fits, I sincerely hope that cryptic admittance doesn’t signal a swift end to this outstanding new supergroup, also featuring vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Britt Daniel of Spoon, drummer Sam Brown of New Bomb Turks and keyboardist Alex Fischel.
The 11-track album features strong shades of both Daniel’s and Boeckner’s principal projects (though Wolf Parade is on indefinite hiatus) albeit with an audibly ’80s, synth-heavy vibe. From start to finish, the musicians maintain a distinct air of nervous energy (think David Byrne and Ian Curtis) so prominent in their past works.
Despite the possible pitfall presented by that pre-show chat, the short-but-sweet set Sunday evening certainly gave the impression that whatever transpired over the past couple months was predominantly positive in nature. The performance felt like a jam with old friends, full of genuine smiles, intense crescendos and occasional classic-rock and contemporary covers, all of which gave this final tour stop a loose yet highly professional edge.
The set’s first three tracks – “Neopolitans,” “Baby Get Worse” and “The Salton Sea” – illustrated that evident level of comfort and camaraderie. Ruled by Daniel’s ghostly drone, Boeckner’s highly technical guitar flourishes and the edgy repetition of Fischel’s and Brown’s synth-and-drum interchanges, those songs showed the group’s tendency to get weird, although not in a wandering, aloof way.
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Divine Fits’ Dan Boeckner, also of Wolf Parade, at the Fonda. Photo: David Hall, for the Register
The tension-building, off-kilter sound seemed to mesmerize the audience before “Flaggin a Ride,” “What Gets You Alone” and an interesting take on Frank Ocean’s playful cut “Lost” incited a literally floor-shaking dance party.
Up until the latter track Daniel stuck to bass (he’s primarily a guitarist in Spoon), but then he remained on guitar, nailing intricate, heavily distorted riffs on an echo-filled cover of Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky,” a particularly trippy take on the album’s most driving cut, “Would That Not Be Nice,” and a true-to-form encore-opening take on the Rolling Stones’ “Sway,” the latter bolstered by Fischel’s steel-guitar-style keyboard effect.
The evening’s final number, “Shivers” – a tune originally by much-revered Australian indie rock guitarist Rowland S. Howard (once of the Birthday Party) that DF included on its record – was a clear-cut, tour-closing celebration. Daniel and Boeckner elected to play one anothers’ axes here, each strumming and flailing with fervored abandon until a wildly psychedelic finish (like a more distorted Velvet Underground with copious layers of synth).
That pleasingly explosive ending got me thinking: Given their formidable followings, Spoon, Handsome Furs and New Bomb Turks are bound to continue, but with shows of this caliber – especially if the creativity of this album ever sinks in with the right circles of fans – Divine Fits may someday be in high demand as well. Should they take too long to resurface, I’ve a feeling admirers will clamor for a return with vehemence.
Set list: Divine Fits at the Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, Nov. 4, 2012
Main set: Neopolitans / Baby Get Worse / The Salton Sea / Flaggin a Ride / What Gets You Alone / Civilian Stripes / Lost (Frank Ocean cover) / My Love Is Real / You Got Lucky (Tom Petty cover) / Like Ice Cream / Would That Not Be Nice / For Your Heart
Encore: Sway (Rolling Stones cover) / Shivers (Rowland S. Howard cover)
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Live review: Divine Fits deliver at tour finale is a post from: Soundcheck