Fin - London School Of Economics Quad - 4/3/04
4/5
By: Lauren Gallagher
His aggressive yearning could capture thousands. Pursed lips give way to a wide wail of vulnerability, cracking a lightning bolt of inquiry into the soul. Sound epic? Well, yes. That's because it is. Jamie Evans fronts the humble Nottingham trio Fin, who put their surroundings to shame last Thursday eve at LSE's basement venue The Quad, giving their intimate crowd a show that would have held any sold-out Carling Academy spellbound.
Brooding bass, rousing, minor guitar, and riveting drums create the dynamic urgency of Fin's sound while Jamie Evans' vocals soar from a troubled falsetto before plummeting to guttural depths. 'Liberate' opens with Tim Trotter's crashing drums, an 80's-esque riff from Tim Wilson, and Evans' insistent croon. While some artists look quietly inside, Fin takes an uncompromising approach to scrutinize their world. This is vehement introspection.
'It's mental torture to write music to a good standard,' said Evans, with fog flowing out of his mouth in London's crisp night air just outside The Quad. If Fin's stirring performance is anything to go by, Evans must be one of the most tortured individuals in music. While currently 'getting Buckley likenesses', Evans admits, 'We're on the heavier side of that,' during a post-gig reflection. Perhaps their most immediate contemporaries are Muse, but without the pomp, and with a fresh, earnest honesty about them. Band influences range from John Coltrane to the Beatles to U2, while Evans also takes inspiration from Islington's The Stranglers, and classic Motown sounds. Although their inspirations may be somewhat past-tense, Fin is no trendy time-warp. Prepare yourself for raw power of innovative musicians who defy both the current vogues of garage-rock or messy 'nu-grunge.' Polished, but not stale, Fin captures the youthful angst of simultaneously demanding and pleading for answers to our plights.
For those that need a renewal of faith in sincerely emotive rock 'n' roll, then Fin may be the answer to their prayers. 'Good music's good music whatever genre it's in, if it's got soul. I'm a sucker for good music,' said Evans. Well Fin, so are we. So bring it on.
Artists in this article: Fin, Findlay Brown, Fingathing
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