Fier in the Disco, Fier in the Taco Bell

The Fiery Furnaces show at Neumos on the day of June thirteenth in the year of our lord two thousand six was awesome. Even if you don't like the Fiery Furnaces, even if you don't know who they are, even if you don't like music, you need to go to a Fiery Furnaces show. New experiences are the spice of life. Treat yourself.

Ghost Stories started the show off with some slightly sophisticated yet still rough pop sounds--a little like the New Pornographers, but they opened for two very entertaining bands and kind of got lost in the mix. The show really started with Man Man.

Close your eyes and picture five guys who sing in low, growly, and falsetto voices, five guys who all play at least one instrument and have at least one drum or something to bang on. The perfect house party band, Man Man set the tone nicely with some American Gypsy Rock. They put chaos and uncertainty in the air that left the crowd ready to embrace the gigantic breathing sound of the Fiery Furnaces.

While the Fiery Furnaces set up, some were surprised that no keyboards were to be found. The wild riffs and sporadic melodies were driven entirely by guitar. Although it was different, it was not in any way a let down. Instead, it allowed the audience to hear new arrangements of the songs they were familiar with from the albums. It was almost like watching them do covers of their own songs.

One thing did stick out though. While the sound of the Fiery Furnaces is tremendous, the stage show is not there. Maybe this is just in contrast to Man Man, who stood on things and had their rowdy way with the stage, while the Furnaces were content to kind of play in the background, but really with all they have going on musically, they do not really need anything more.

In all seriousness, everyone needs to see the Fiery Furnaces live. It will be one of the things people will talk about in 30 years. Make sure you get content for that conversation. While you are at it, check out Man Man. They were pretty fun too.

Photo care of Flickr / user saelan.