Francobollo are a progressive grunge band from Sweden, a
country that has produced some phenomenal talent over the years, but next in
line for the spotlight is none other than these lads. They recently released
their debut album, Long Live Life, an album that I’ve grown to love since its
release with some phenomenal guitar work on the album and some very clever use
of samplers to go with it. I can’t wait to see these guys gain all the fame
deserve over the next few years.
The Cookie is my go to venue at the moment, purely because
it just has the sound systems set up perfectly and the acoustics of the room
are nigh on perfect. Not to mention I love the informality of it, being able to
meet the artist after they perform most of the time is always a huge plus and,
for the most part, they locally source the support acts as well. But I digress.
Francobollo kicked off their show with the fantastic tune ‘Worried Times’ which
got certain members of the audience bopping along, and what impressed me was
the charisma and humour of the guys on stage, often joking in between songs and
looking as though they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, this makes all the
difference when watching a gig, it creates a better atmosphere.
Francobollo are one of them rare bands that don’t come along
very often, and it’s that they are better live than they are on CDQ, this is
all the more impressive considering the uniqueness of their sound, with the
lead singer having a very recognisable voice and a slight accent to it when he
sings, it’s impressive the sound they’ve crafted for themselves. What impressed
me most though was when the lead singer and drummer swapped over for a song,
displaying the wide array of talent throughout the band. I’ve never in my years
of going to concerts seen a guitarist swap his axe for an drum or vice versa
though, and I think that’s something that will stick long in the memory.
A personal highlight was the performance of ‘Kinky Lola’
which is an absolutely monumental tune, harnessing and encapsulating everything
that makes Francobollo so good, and live it sounded even better, with the
guitars being so on point and the sound engineering being unbelievably accurate
– something that has been amiss in a lot of gigs I’ve been to lately – so if
Francobollo are coming to a city near you, then buy a ticket right away and
don’t forget to purchase the exclusive green vinyl on your way out!
