FAT FREDDY’S DROPPING BY

By Benjamen Judd

After what would be considered a sell out tour across Europe, New Zealand-based band Fat Freddy’s Drop is finally returning to Australia. The seven-piece band are celebrating the launch of their latest album, Blackbird, and will be performing a collection of songs from this album and past hits at the Enmore Theatre this coming Thursday, August 29.

Having been around since the late nineties, it’s hard to understand what took Fat Freddy so long to get noticed by the rest of the world. A mixture of reggae, soul, dub, rhythm and blues and a smattering of techno for good measure, the group had started as a jam band before settling on its current line up of musicians. This sense of free-flowing, amorphous approach sound is still something that influences their music today.

The latest record, Blackbird, is a tight collection of nine tracks that flow as smoothly as one of their live shows. The rhythms are driven along by Fitchie’s basslines and the horn section, as lead singer Joe Dukie’s sublime vocals float over the top. The new record’s live feel was a conscious decision and is a product of the band’s habit of refining songs on the road.

Fat Freddy will perform at the Enmore Theatre, Newtown, this coming August 29. To get your tickets to see the boys jam live, head here.