Monday, March 7, 2011 at 15:56 Concert review: French Horn Rebellion-Hercules and Love Affair
Back in December 2009, I posted an entry in the blog about Brooklyn-based duo French Horn Rebellion, in which I argued that they might be the band everybody would talk about in 2010. Since then, I've been thoroughly following their steps but they had remained elusive in their tour dates. Last night I could finally attend one of their concerts, where I also had a chance to talk to Robert Perlick-Molinari, the band's lead vocalist and French horn virtuoso.
I guess for many of the people that packed the sold-out Orangerie concert hall at Brussels' Botanique last night, it was all about Hercules and Love Affair. French Horn Rebellion was after all a last minute addition to the line-up, so I guess many people didn't even know they were going to play when they bought their tickets, as the audience's lukewarm reaction to their fantastic, selfless show seemed to indicate.
The painfully motionless listeners seemed rather amazed than impressed by the eclectic combination of electro synth-pop, funky and classical sounds which, admittedly, can prove to be disconcerting at times, but none the less brilliant and absolutely rewarding.
Even the glorious Up All Night, the tune that first attracted my attention to the virtues of the band, or keyboard player David's attempts to mingle with the listeners failed to energize a crowd that seemed annoyed that they must after all stand through two shows before listening to Hercules & Love Affair's megahit Blind.
FHR's album The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion is a bold, brilliant debut effort that should on its own help the band transcend the MGMT comparisons. There is an undeniable aesthetic and musical resemblance with their Brooklyn mates (David produced the original Time To Pretend EP), but the album can claim a genuine originality regardless.
The two brothers were cordial to the crowd and truly nice and easy-going in private. I had a chance to talk with Robert about their projects, their exhausting tour and the artistic approach to their videos (see the peerless clip for Up All Night bellow) in the break between both shows, which added an extra personal touch to the excellent concert.
I am already looking forward to a next show with a more grateful, devoted crowd.
Reader Comments (1)
"The painfully motionless listeners". Ha ha, so true. That's rather a rule than an exception in Brussels I am afraid (sigh). For me, Up All Night's clip is a satire on hipsters (kind of Portlandia), despite French Horn Rebellion epitomizing hipsterishness (hipsterness?).