THE FELICE BROTHERS AT STRANGE BREW - 09/11/24
REVIEW: 'Valley of Abandoned Songs' Show at Strange Brew - 09/11/24
29th November 2024
by DARCEY CAMERON
The Felice Brothers, who started out performing in New York subway City stations, substituted the underground for Strangebrew on the 9th of November, and in turn transformed Strange Brew into a fantastical dreamscape.
Imbuing their performance with rich storytelling and self-conscious realities, The Felice Brothers took the crowd from the feet-shuffling country tunes of ‘Whiskey in My Whiskey’ to the brink of tears with tracks like ‘So Long John’ and ‘Nail It On The First Try’.
I have to confess (it's not something I’m proud of) that I’ve often found myself unconsciously skeptical of modern folky Americana stuff...something about it feels off for me. The self-conscious, rootsy authenticity comes off as affective or contrived sometimes. My second confession is that I didn’t listen to The Felice Brothers religiously before I saw them and so I was somewhat nervous as the band modestly started out, and the funky, homely space of Strange Brew was relocated to American suburbia.
However, my nerves never formed themselves as I found myself submerged in The Felice Brother’s fantastical dreamscape and forgot about the folk-roots label which lost itself amid the piercing vocals and lyrics of Ian Felice and James Felice’s captivating accordion play. Looking out into the crowd and seeing the faces of fans who knew every word, singing gut-wrenching lyrics from the bottom of their hearts, it's not hard to see the captivation of The Felice Brother’s tortured yet romantic twist on life’s hardships.
In my mind, they resurrect the hardened Americana poetics of Bob Dylan, synthesizing it with a dark surrealist fairytale feel, reappropriating the weird folkish 60s sounds into a new and distinct direction. Although they tackle heavy themes of mortality, human frailty and the hardships of a small-town, working-class existence, they continuously do so with whimsy and a playfulness which softens and lends the band their distinctive, light, dreamlike feel.
Their recent tour coincided with the release of their latest album Valley of Abandoned Songs which features a mix of previously unreleased demos and recordings from past sessions. Like the dreamy, surrealist album cover, painted by Ian Felice himself, the album pastiches various, whimsical and otherworldly dreamscapes which feature ill-fated heiresses and wistful road Travellers (as if from a Bob Dylan wet dream!). Each dreamscape is kept afloat by the threads of hope which find voices in songs like ‘Tomorrow is just a dream away’ and ‘Younger as the days go by’- tunes which echoed throughout the space of Strange Brew and seemed to reverberate against our bodies; strangely possessing them in a kind of ethereal dance-trance.
Ian, taking the role of the frontman, spoke very little that evening, which could’ve been tiredness; due to their earlier performance that afternoon, but undoubtedly added to their mystery, and to the enigmatic nature of their whimsical lyrics and strange, beautiful and melodic harmonies.
He left each song for us to interpret, and looking around, you got the sense that everybody was immersed in their own imaginations and fantasies, fueled by the never-ending, rich creativity of The Felice Brothers. During their encore track ‘Silverfish’, the crowd chanted ‘do something’ in unison, a moment of harmony between the audience in which we were all connected by the universality of their lyrics, a moment which really characterise the evening as a whole; a moment which I think nobody really wanted to end.
The Felice Brothers remind us that even in the face of life’s hardships, there’s beauty to be found in storytelling, music, and the communities it brings together. Here’s to many more dreamscapes and tales from this unique band. We look forward to watching them continue to grow and perform here in the UK.