An early start and god forbid a school night too for a stellar line up gracing the Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast, for the arrival of Aussie Pop-Rock starlets The Faim, Woes (UK) and Charming Liars (UK/USA) for a quality line up indeed.
Charming Liars kick off proceedings and immediately you sense the quality within the first few bars echoing out across the room, rich full melodic sound envelopes one and all and crisp clear vocals ring out with hefty harmonizing backing vocals you can tell the songwriting is first class. All the way from the city of angels this quartet has plenty in the tank to deliver a blistering opening performance deserving of a far greater audience. Emotive and evocative melodies, cutting guitar work in between multi-layered diverse tracks announce Charming Liars arrival with great aplomb. Easy on the ear, highly addictive Charming Liars are well worth checking out. Speaking with frontman Kiliyan Maguire at the merch stall, Charming Liars are A US / UK mix and are on an extensive run which sees them finish off back in the US supporting Angels and Airwaves.
Woes are on the opposite side of the scale to Charming Liars, balls-out pop-Punk angst that bellies out from behind hefty hooks and big choruses. Their first visit back to Belfast since the launch of their Awful Truth album dropped via UNFD these guys are high energy and full of youthful enthusiasm and don’t seem to wanna stop, kind of like a The Duracell bunny on speed! Each track is a bigger banger than the last and rammed down your throat with thrashing guitars, addictive vocal melodies and endearing charm that make Woes hard to resist. “Make some noise if you’ve got no money” I’m gonna remember that line for a while!
https://www.facebook.com/woesuk/
Aussie Pop-Rock quartet The Faim bring their brand of Oz infused Rock to the Oh Yeah Centre for the first time, these guys have been ripping it up across the pond supporting bands such as Lower Than Atlantis but this is their 1st venture flying solo on Irish shores and it’s a welcome sight. A band coming with a big rep demanding attention in the UK and beyond it was the perfect opportunity to catch them in an intimate venue as a warm up to their UK leg of the tour. Tight as a tiger, The Faim start and start on a dime with much like Charming Liars heavily melodic and anthemic quality songwriting as each and every track is a head-turner. A band which is due to drop their debut album State Of Mind are rich in talent. A long way from home among friends their glorious melodic hooks people swooning to the rhythms and thunderous drum patterns which reverberate-across the room. A devoted fan base upfront performing to the demands of conductor Josh Raven means every track goes down like a bomb! Personable frontman chats to the crowd between each song making them feel like it’s a house party more than a gig.
Each song had a massive hook, drawing you in hook line and sinker. You can’t help but be empowered by the delivery and quality echoing from the stage. A powerful performance indeed from this fledgling Aussie band but a name you’ll no doubt be heard far and wide come to that debut album dropping. A band worthy of their reputation The Faim deliver a poised and solid performance well beyond the modest crowd in attendance, as they move into the UK dates their fan-base will follow them after a successful run of supporting slots and for those who are on the fence wondering should I, shouldn’t I? U most definitely should. The Faim continues their brief UK run and return later in the year also so check out the dates below.
A band with a huge sound, as big as their future no doubt coming at you like a juggernaut, The Faim are here to stay.
Review & Photography // Mark McGrogan // #flashartmark // @flashartmark // @rocknloadmag
