Gigs

Gig Review: Food Fighters + The Mono Effect

Venue: The Junction, Cambridge
Date: 22 November 2007

Dave Grohl, the jewel in the Foo Fighters crown. Vocalist, guitarist, drummer, songwriter and all round legend. However is tonight’s tribute act even going to come close to such an icon? Well, as the band launch into In Your Honour, a peculiar choice of opening track, it becomes apparent that they’re going to have a damned good go. As the lead singer, releases his voice into the empty space before him it ricochets like a bullet - each word is powerfully bellowed and is a fine recreation of Dave’s gruff, cracked battle cry. It’s a masterstroke to the lay the vocal so bare so early and it takes some real guts to do it to an attentive, but essentially sparse collection of onlookers.

Based in Brighton, the Food Fighters are in demand. The journey from last night’s gig has been a traffic nightmare and unfortunately they don’t get a soundcheck. It’s a shame because it means adjustments throughout the set. There isn’t much of a physical resemblance to the Foos there - Taylor Hawkins has left his drumkit and taken up the guitar, Pat Smear of Nirvana is on bass, Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro is thrashing away at the drums, and comedian Norman Pace is on vocals - if they wanted a Dave Grohl lookalike they really should have got the lead singer from tonight’s brilliant support band, The Mono Effect, who was his double. More important than looks though is the sound and unfortunately they’re missing a guitar. For some reason our “Grohl” has left his at home and surely there is no way they can recreate the guitar-driven rock of the Foo Fighters with just one guitar - no matter how good the other remaining axeman is. At one point I find myself turning to the sound-desk and imploring them to quieten the bass, drums and vocals – the riffs are simply going missing.

Meanwhile, the band is blazing through hits from 2005’s In Your Honour. The aforementioned title-track, The Last Song, Best Of You, D.O.A. and No Way Back, all from that album, make up five of the six first songs – it’s obviously where the band feel most comfortable. At last they move on to the other albums and the big hits start coming out - The Pretender, Everlong, and Monkey Wrench all hit the mark. The lead singer is certainly making up for the others inactivity by jumping around the stage and keeping the crowd entertained by introducing each number with a big smile. Out front the dancefloor is suddenly, and surreally, filled with wheelchairs which are swung in circles in time to the music and accompanying light display. The band ends the number and shows their appreciation by thanking them for dancing - I am humbled by my inactivity.

Without warning, mid-performance, the band is no longer cohesive as there’s another problem with the sound. The lyrics are mouthed, not sung, and the guitar experiences terrible feedback. We wonder perhaps that the monitors have gone down but after a word with the soundman the band come back stronger than ever and we truly see how good they are. My Hero, Times Like These, Breakout and All My Life are all performed to perfection - perhaps the guitar has finally been ramped up in volume. It’s a heck of a finish. Having seen the real thing a week ago I can honestly say that this lot are sounding surprisingly close and are well worth checking out. Give them a heaving crowd, another guitar and a crack at learning some of the new material and they’d be damn near indistinguishable.

For fans of: Foo Fighters, Muse, U2
Band link = Food Fighters

Review commissioned by Local Secrets.

Bookmark to:

Previous & Next