Fleet Foxes - ULU - 11th June 2008

Whenever it was in their lifetimes that the members of Fleet Foxes heard of 'using the voice as an instrument' they clearly took it to heart. Their releases thus far have been nothing but joyous folk pop with the power of the voice being used to great effect on all tracks.

Tonight they start with their strongest suit, kicking off with three-part a cappella harmonies that usher in the the shining sound of 'Sun Giant' a song that is a tribute to the sun which fuels all life and the things that inspires Fleet Foxes' organic sound. This quickly rolls into 'Sun It Rises', the opening track of their recently released eponymous debut album. The band kicks in and the foxes are in full flow, pitch-perfect vocals over the top of simple and beautiful folk tunes.


The set tonight consists of songs from their recent LP and also the 'Sun Giant' EP, both of which have been released this year (strangely the EP was recorded after the LP but released before it).

The band are on fantastic form in every way possible. Vocally they remain strong throughout whether they split the vocals into different parts to layer several melodies into their songs as they do on 'English House' or combining them to create a rainbow of noise. Even guitarist Skyler Skjelset who is the only member of the band that doesn't sing is mouthing along the words enthusiastically as he plays.

When lead singer Robin Pecknold is left alone on stage with just his acoustic guitar to play stripped down ballads such as 'Oliver James' he manages to put raw power and emotion into the songs using his voice, which has a range and a certain distilled purity that encapsulates everything that's brilliant about the band. These are heights that many of today's new bands strive to reach and fail miserably.



Pecknold himself is only 22 but you wouldn't know it either from his heavily bearded appearance or the from the maturity in his lyrics and songs. Of course the other members all played their crucial part in bringing his visions to life and show many of the same qualities.

Tonight though, their youthfulness is on full show as they seem truly bewildered and beside themselves with happiness that this many people would come to see them, especially in London, several thousand miles from their homes in Seattle. During the cheers the band members are visibly shaking their heads in disbelief the the reception they are receiving. Despite this they are not over awed by the situation and are perfectly happy to partake in some banter with the audience, which is one of the glorious things about playing in intimate venues. It's unlikely that Fleet Foxes will be playing venues of this size for much longer so this a real treat.


The crowd for their part is perfect, giving the band extremely handsome applause for each and every song before falling perfectly silent and attentive ready for the next song. During the brief moments of mid-song silence and the quieter acoustic songs you could have heard a pin drop. All 1000 people in the audience held their collective breath with rapt attention are hung on every note, lusting for what's coming next.

They finish the main set with a bombastic rendition of EP highlight 'Mykonos', extending the ending to finish as they started, with more powerful harmonies.


The band are off stage for barely twenty seconds before Robin comes bounding back on and picks up his acoustic guitar for a rousing rendition of 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song'. After this the rest of the band rejoin their leader on stage to finish with 'Blue Ridge Mountains'. The band thank the crowd profusely and their gratitude is returned in kind. The band are smiling from ear to ear as they leave the stage and so is everybody else in the room.

Folk music may not be as popular today as it has been in the past but if there's anybody who's going to bring back the recognition that it deserves there's nobody more likely to accomplish the job than Pecknold and his merry men.

Rating: 9.6/10
Best Part: Harmonies, harmonies, harmonies, it's all about those harmonies!!

If you haven't heard any of Fleet Foxes then you must check them out. Both their EP and album have been recently released and are worth every penny. Here are a few tracks you can download to whet your appetite:

White Winter Hymnal (from 'Fleet Foxes')
Your Protector (from 'Fleet Foxes')
Blue Ridge Mountains (from 'Fleet Foxes')
English House (from 'Sun Giant' EP)
Mykonos (from 'Sun Giant' EP)

See the rest of my photos by clicking here

Video: 'Oliver James' (sound quality is ok since it's an acoustic song)