Brighton quartet, Fear of Men, brought the loftiness of the UK seaside to New York’s seaport on Friday, 21 June 2013. Headlining the night’s Seaport Music Festival, at the South Street Seaport, with their twee/90s alternative sound, the band’s non-stop swaying with guitar in hand made for some fun and dramatic visuals befitting for their music.
Singer Jessica Weiss’ vocals have been compared to Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries, but I also sensed a bit of Zooey Deschanel as well. The influence of 90s nostalgia is evident in their sound, with beautiful melodies and crooning. At times, the harmonies reminded me of the etherealness of Lush, with soft, melancholic wails. It really was quite lovely. Listening to them makes me dream of walking down a street on an overcast day in black tights and shorts. That’s just how much they brought me back in time. If you were around in the 90s (not born in the 90s) you probably know what I mean.
Opening up the night was Writer. The ‘Brothers Ralph’ originally from California, now reside in Brooklyn. The drum/guitar duo packed such a punch in their sound, it was hard to believe it only came from two guys. I can only describe drummer James Ralph’s instrumentation skills as being immense and abundant sounding. I really enjoyed Writer. And apparently so did a lady in the audience, who shouted out her love for the band during their set. Singer Andy Ralph just replied back with ‘how much do you love my brother?’ Hilarious.
If you want to hear what Fear of Men sound like, here’s a short video of some of their songs. And below that, check out the photo gallery.
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All Photos/Videos: 2013 © Tear-n Tan. All Rights Reserved.
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