02 Academy, Manchester
Marc Ved
AAA
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Pics:
Skanky Skanky
Masters of loose-limbed funk and dub reggae jams, New Zealand’s Fat
Freddy’s Drop get us groovin’ at Manchester’s 02 Academy
The dub reggae foundations that Fat
F
at Freddy’s Drop are a band in or what season it is following all those 2005’s ‘Based On A True Story’ remain Freddy’s Drop build most of their grooves
that like to stretch their legs. months on the road. essential purchases and classic listens. upon might be renowned for the way
All 14 of them in this case, And there is clearly a wide number of such producers use the space between the
since it’s a seven-strong But as their opening number starts to beatfreaks all around the world, given beats and bass, but even though Fat
contingent from the New Zealand groove swell into a tide of electronic pulses and that their albums have both been real Freddy’s fi ll these gaps with jazzy
machine that snakes its way across the eddying brass, with vocalist Joe Dukie’s sleeper successes, not least of all in keyboard solos, electronic touches,
stage of Manchester’s 02 Academy lovers’ rock lilt urging us to ‘shake it Manchester. Even on a wet Tuesday occasional Clapton-esque guitar licks
tonight, taking up position behind the loose’ over the top, it becomes clear that evening, the Academy is jammed solid and plenty of parping trumpets, they
Akai MPC, microphone and keyboards or the nickname of their guitarist — who, with skanking bodies. never lose the music’s meditative sense
brandishing their trombones, trumpets, it’s later revealed, is celebrating his of spirituality even as they push the
sax and guitars as the beat from birthday tonight — isn’t a reference to an Because, like all life’s greatest pleasures, energy levels higher, and their songs
‘Shiverman’ begins booming out like a affl iction that’s going to affect the band Fat Freddy’s Drop are best experienced in over the 10-minute mark.
blue whale’s heartbeat. in any way on stage. For Fat Freddy’s Drop the fl esh, with a horde of other people For as seasoned travellers both musically
The last stop of an international tour that fl ow with the loose-limbed funk that’s beginning to bounce up and down to the and geographically, Fat Freddy’s Drop
has taken them from their native always been their trademark, rather than “I hope you’re skanking with me” intro to know that there’s no rush when you’re
Wellington through America and most of having their songs seize up with musical ‘Roady’ for example, or bobbing along to confi dent where you’re going.
Europe, you could certainly forgive Fat deep vein thrombosis having been played the anthemic ‘Pull The Catch’. The fact PAUL CLARKE
Freddy’s Drop if they were to seem a bit out for so long. that they’ve been playing live together
knackered. Not to mention a tad for eons is obvious from the way they
homesick, seeing as it’s blowing a It’s only really The Bays who can match manage to be both incredibly tight and
freezing wet gale on the Mancunian them for the astonishing fl uidity and seemingly free-fl owing at the same time,
DROP ZONE
streets outside whilst their home in the seemingly subliminal connection these songs like ‘Boondigga’ beginning with the
Southern Hemisphere is beginning to different musicians have when blues before ending in a scree of guitar • Fat Freddy’s Drop took their name
bask in the Antipodean summer. performing live, even if Fat Freddy’s Drop that would make even Spiritualized from the cat in the cult US comic
Although, given that guitarist ‘Jetlag’ have actually — unlike The Bays — shudder, while Joe Dukie works the book series The Fabulous Furry
Johnson is wearing a Panama hat and preserved some of these grooves on wax. choruses from Bob Marley’s ‘Waiting In Freak Brothers.
Hawaiian shirt, you wonder if he’s For any discerning beatfreaks, last year’s Vain’ or Willie Williams’ ‘Armagideon
actually got any idea what continent he’s ‘Dr. Boondigga and The Big BW’ and Time’ into ‘This Room’ and ‘Roady’. • ‘Based On A True Story’ was the fi rst
independent album to go to No.1 in
New Zealand.
• Most members of the band have
played with other groups on the
burgeoning Kiwi reggae scene,
including The Black Seeds, Trinity
Roots and Bongmaster.
• Their most recent LP, ‘Dr. Boondigga
and The Big BW’, features the vocals
of Brighton soulstress Alice Russell
on ‘The Camel’.
• They compose most of their tunes
from live improvised jams. Their rare
‘Live At The Matterhorn’ album
contains just four tracks lasting
around 20 minutes each.
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DJ481.AAA_FAT FREDDY.indd PROOFED please flush box out.indd 69 4/1/10 10:52:25
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