24 Oct 2024 // A review by Scarlett Walsh

Following on from the 2024 UK/Europe performances of their Slo Moalbum tour, Fat Freddy's Drop will be back in New Zealand for 6 upcoming shows across the country. Joined by fellow Kiwi artists TOI (Tunes Of I), Coterie, Rubi Du and DJ Logg Cabin, as well as AJ Honeysuckle, Rehekorero and Australian duo The Teskey Brothers for the Auckland and Upper Hutt shows. Saxophonist Chopper Reedz (Scott Towers) comments that "Slo Mo is the strongest studio representation yet of a Freddy's live show". Having attended their December 2022 performance at Summer Haze in Tauranga, I can say that they have successfully captured their enigmatic charm of their live shows. I would go one step further than recommending one of their shows, to raving that it should be on your live show bucket list to experience their renowned stage presence for yourself.

Being the 6th studio album, the expectations for one of Aotearoa's most dynamic bands were palpable. The album flows through a perfect summer capsule, rhythmic and soulful with funky jams along with Freddy's signature reggae dub. There is a feature of uplifting incants; making me feel motivated to spring into action when I listen to Next Stop Feat. MC Slave, as well as the titular track Slo Mo with Louis Baker on the outro "get yourself together, come in from the cold, just open up the door you've got the key!" Just the pep talk I needed. Stand Straight is another stand out for me. There is a fun use of synth layered in amongst a plump bass line and the quintessential brass which is a real treat for the ears and certainly quells the cravings for a Fat Freddy’s fix.

Track 5, Oldemos, was a surprise for me as I wasn't expecting this sort of melancholic vibe to pop up alongside the uplifting, sun-drenched tracklist. Oldemos has the same moody atmosphere as the beloved (and personal favourite) Blackbird. The intro includes a Fleetwood Mac's ‘Tusk’-esque drum beat paired with a western desert style plucked chord progression. Joe Dukie ( Dallas Tamaira) never fails to capture me with his velvety soulful vocals, lamenting the listener about lost love from a failed relationship: “it's been so long since I've seen you and you're acting like it wasn't nothing, but it meant so much to me; heaven forgive me for leaving”. Chopper's saxophone solo acts like a response to call to a grieving Dukie. I felt that the lyrics on this track were much more introspective than the band's usual commentary; although I’m not currently experiencing loss or going through a break-up, this experience is undeniably universal. Oldemos is going to be added to my deep feelings and reflections playlist and has quickly become one of my repeat plays.

Tracks 8 & 9 feel more removed when you compare to the rest of Slo Mo, in that there is more of a synth and dub echo where the listener is swept up in the ambience rather than hanging onto Dukie's guiding vocals. The talent of each of the musicians in this 7 piece ensemble comes together yet again to produce an exploration of black music from Polynesia, as described by Freddy’s beatmaker, Chris Faiumu (DJ Fitchie).

I cannot wait to see this line-up and experience Slo Mo album live at the Hasting's show in February. I know it will be yet another unforgettable performance supported by an unmissable line-up.

Tickets are on sale now for their January and February tour dates. Double vinyl drops 25th October and digital 8th November.

Fat Freddy’s Drop is internationally regarded as one of the world’s finest live draws. The seven piece band has navigated their way from the incubator of sunshine reggae through a colour-saturated field of soul psychedelia before swerving onto a desolate Detroit superhighway at night. It’s a sound that demands to be heard live, a potent mixture of jazz virtuosity and diaphragm-wrecking digital sonics.

These influences have not only been formed by the band’s individual predilections, but also experiences on the road: Fat Freddy’s appearance at Detroit’s Movement festival in 2006 was a watershed moment for the band, fuelled by hearing May’s, Atkin’s and Craig’s stark futurism ricochet off the cold concrete of America’s broken dream. This stoked producer DJ Mu’s love of analog techno, balancing and fusing vocalist Dallas Tamaira’s adoration of soul and reggae with the band’s collective passion for Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, Rock, Disco, House, Post Punk and Balearic oddities.

For Bays studio album released in 2015, the 9-track LP was exclusively written and recorded at their studio in Kilbirnie, Wellington. Pre-Bays, Freddy's albums were formed almost entirely on the road; the songs slowly evolving live at festivals such as WOMAD UK, SONAR, Bestival, Lowlands, DEMF, Pukkelpop, Glastonbury, The Big Chill and Roskilde.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Fat Freddy's Drop

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