Review: Febueder, The Crown – ‘They sounded like a band at the top of their game’

Downstairs in The Crown’s red-painted cellar, Bristol alt-rockers Sell By were warming up with a slew of scuzzy belters when I slid into the crowd, already tightly packed under the arched ceiling.

The stomping beats set us jumping and arm-waving en masse and, despite the contrast in style between tonight’s bands, the Venn diagram seemed to fall in everyone’s favour – Sell By’s cathartic barrage of sound cleared the decks for Febueder’s more thoughtful offering.

If playful, percussive, curveball indie is your thing, and if you don’t know Febueder already, get ‘em on your headphones – you’re in for a treat. Their deceptively light touch layers textures over bright, clean spaces, building soundscapes that stay with you long after you listen.

If you’re like me, you’ll step back in, time and time again, discovering new shapes and angles you hadn’t noticed before.

Childhood friends Kieran Godfrey and Samuel Keysell, both from Ascot, have been making music as Febueder for over a decade.

Their sound has developed, but their experimental approach remains rooted in spacious, innovative percussion, clean guitar and bass licks, vocals that rarely dominate, and glowing twists of brass, strings, and woodwind.

Joined for their live performances by guitarist Nicholas Froom, they built a sound that seemed more than the sum of its parts, with both Kieran (vocals, guitar, cornet, ukelele, and something called a Saxaflute) and Samuel (drums, bass, vocals, and – on the album – electric cello) switching between a vast set of instruments.

But the result is never cluttered, and they balance varied instrumentation and breathing space, gutsy emotion and intrigue, hooky choruses and abstract forms.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpnpKlODU_Y/?hl=en

Febueder’s new album Follow the Colonnade is a graceful collection of nine tracks (five previously released as singles, four brand new) that, although distinct, feel of a piece.

“These songs have more light to them than our previous album,” Samuel has said, and for sure, tracks like May Sun and Kitebox lilt, almost jaunty, each footfall rippling off in all directions at once.

There’s something ludic and surprising in their approach, too: in a similar vein to Adult Jazz or Casually Here, the percussion sometimes sounds like a pencil case tipped onto floorboards – but carefully, and to lovely effect.

It’s never a racket, just curious and interesting. I’m a big fan. It makes me think of Delia Derbyshire and her well-documented use of a metal lampshade to create sound effects for her ground-breaking electronic work.

Live, Febueder’s tracks carried an extra charge, their stirring beats crying out for movement in response. I thought so, anyway, and gladly joined the four or five others at the front twisting and swinging in time.

I was surprised at how many people stood still or nodded along politely. Subjective, of course, but I did find that despite the sometimes-cerebral nature of Febueder’s music, its rhythmic brightness (especially in the live version) felt at odds with the general seriousness of the crowd.

That’s not to say Febueder didn’t go down a storm. Between join-in-able choruses and odd, compelling interludes, they sounded like a band at the top of their game, settling into their sound, stepping out confidently into new territory.

Main photo:

Read next:

• Review: Shame, SWX – ‘The more energy the crowd gave, the more the band gave back’
• Review: cktrl, Rough Trade – ‘Dreamy soundscapes filled the venue’
• Review: The Oozes, Rough Trade – ‘Wonderfully camp and bursting with silliness’

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: