Friday, February 02, 2007

Fireworks Night


I was always going to give Fireworks Night a decent chance. They’ve played with Emmy the Great, and count other Daily Growl faves Noah and the Whale and Johnny Flynn among their myspace friends. So a positive impression from the start. And I’m pleased to say that they sound good too.

The band have been going since 2003, when James Lesslie and Ricky M got some friends together to record their first album It’s a Wide, Wide Sea in a garage in Devon. This album was initially self-released and distributed, until Organ Grinder Records (also home to The Mules) picked it up and released it in 2006. They recorded the follow-up As Fools We Are in 2005, which is due for release on Kartel Records soon. Actually, instead of me continuing to crib from their Organ Grinder artist page, why don’t you read more over there?

So – the music. It’s pleasingly nocturnal chamber pop, with folky melodies, nicely judged strings, and lovely harmonies They come on a bit like a more stripped-down Tindersticks, though I as I listened to their tracks, I kept thinking of Lincoln – Fireworks Night are less country, but their noir-ish sweep and the boy-girl vocals remind me of Stoke Newington’s great lost band. However, there some are surprises in store. In particular, Echo’s Swing has a fantastic post-rock style build-up towards the end, giving an epic edge to their otherwise fragile tunes.

Here’s a couple of tracks from the first album:

Download: Fireworks Night – Down to the Lake
Download: Fireworks Night – Long Time Healing

There are more downloads on their Organ Grinder web page, and newer stuff on their myspace.

If you’re in London and reading this on Friday, Fireworks Night are playing at Bush Hall tonight. Look- they got a feature in Time Out for this gig! I can’t imagine a better venue than this old Edwardian music hall for their music. Unfortunately I can’t make it tonight, but hope to catch them soon. In the meantime I can watch this video of them performing Down to the Lake at the Union Chapel late last year. There is a bit of a delay, but hope you enjoy it too.

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