Last night’s near sold out Fitz & The Tantrums show at The State Theatre had people braving the first real snowfall of the season and, if you asked the crowd, it was more than worth it.
Barns Courtney, the opening act, was the sole opener of the night. Barnaby George Courtney (AKA Barns Courtney) is a indie/ pop/ punk singer and guitarist from England who was joined on stage by a bassist and drummer. This kid has a voice that is beyond powerful. It’s a bit funny to watch. When he takes the stage, he just seems like this scrawny little English boy but, as soon as he starts to sing, you can feel the jaws in the crowd hit the ground.
Barns Courtney currently only has an EP out but he is already getting radio play and the attention that his talent deserves. His set may have been short last night but it definitely got the crowd talking and wanting more. This is a super talented guy and I truly can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.
F&TT, fronted by Michael Fitzpatrick (although vocalist/ tambourinist Noelle Scaggs seems to steal the spotlight majority of the time), are definitely not a new band. They formed in 2008 but seem to just now be hitting their stride and getting the recognition that their indie-pop/ neo- soul/ dance music deserves. With three full length albums out, including their self-titled album that came out earlier this year, the band had more than enough material to keep the nearly two hour set feeling funky and fresh.
The electricity between Scaggs and Fitzpatrick was hard to ignore as they crossed paths while dancing across the stage. Saxophonist/ keyboardist James King kept the set fun as he played through countless solos that truly showed his power behind the horns. It seemed like each band member was spotlighted at some point or another but I couldn’t help but just wait for King to be featured. The way he flawlessly switched from keyboards to the sax to baritone sax and crept his way into the spotlight for his solos was mesmerizing. Scaggs’ energy as she played the tambourine throughout the whole set was also mesmerizing. The amount of energy that she was giving off throughout the set made it hard to remember that last night was the last night of this current tour.
Frontman Michael Fitzpatrick praised the crowd for standing without being prompted to even though the show was held at a auditorium style venue with assigned seating and all. Even with the praise, Fitzpatrick seemed to be wanting more from the crowd and urged them to move around as much as they could. The crowd obliged and you could feel the energy in the packed venue turn up towards the end of the set.
Last night was the first “real” snowfall of the winter but people didn’t seem to mind. The crowd emerged from the venue and found themselves in the winter wonderland that had swept through the city with smiles on their faces.
