Mr. Kyps, Poole
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end; and tonight a sold out Mr Kyps are here to bid a fond farewell to one of the area’s best-loved bands “Fearne”. They are a band that have consistently fulfilled expectations, with a string of albums that feature some exceptional songwriting and musicianship. The band for over a decade have constantly evolved; performing as a duo, trio and a full band inviting a host of top local musicians to add to their ever evolving sound. The pinnacle of the band’s career was winning the Dorset Music Awards in 2011, where the band swept away the competition with a thrilling performance at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth. The band were equally at home on a festival stage or in a folk club, their diversity was part of their wide appeal. They have, for a variety of reasons decided that now is the right time to bring this chapter to a close.
The evening starts in earnest with the first of tonight’s three support acts. Joe Boiling brings his sunshine-soaked acoustic goodness to the Mr Kyps stage with a warm smile and some well put together, catchy original tunes that get people’s feet tapping. Joe has a totally original delivery style with songs like the addictive “Go to Tokyo” and really heartfelt final tune “Fish in the Sea”. Next up is the local Poole-based Matt Underdown, who released his impressive debut album “Hope” last year. Matt battles well with the usual Mr. Kyp’s background chatter and get people’s attention; with a string of well-delivered tunes, including a passionate song about his late “Grandfather” called “Unwanted Goodbye”. There is also a surprise radical reworking of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”.
The main support comes from Jack Grace and his band who in December of last year beat some of the area’s best acts to win the “Skirmish” battle of the bands contest. Jack, has of course, supported Fearne many times over the years and it’s no real surprise that he has been invited once again to support for this special night. The evolution of Jack’s music is something that has been a pleasure to watch, each time that he performs there are always tweaks and changes that show that much hard work is going into getting things just right. Tonight is no different. With the band of Connor Fox on drums, Joe Smith on keyboards, Philip John on Bass and Christian Evans on guitar the five-piece make an incredible shaping sound, featuring some brilliant guitar effects and heavenly harmonization. The audience are treated to the recent single “Blindsider”, a radical reworking of an older track “Remember Me” and a powerful ending with the uplifting “Self-Destruction”. The band leave the stage to plenty of positive applause and with the audience well behind them.
It is with a heavy heart that we are all gathered here for Fearne’s final gig, the band have been like a breath of fresh air for the local music scene. Each time you go and see them you get something new and refreshing, along with a collection of tunes you know so well. Tonight that band have worked hard in doing research to get the setlist just right, with a good selection of tunes from all areas of their career. The custom made intro music starts up and it’s like a radio dial being turned, with each dial turn spitting out snatches of Fearne tunes. The band finally walk on stage to a massive welcome from the excited crowd, who all seem to be up for giving the band the best send-off possible. Kicking off with “Took the Game too Far” the band sound like they are in fine form after the weeks of rehearsals leading up to this show.
Former members of the band Sam Stone (Guitar) and “Sladey” (Drums) are invited up to join them on a lovely version of “These Games”. The distant past gets visited with tunes that have not been heard played live in a very long while. “Alive Tonight” which reminds me of the great times during the Dorset Music Awards in 2011 and the beautifully touching “You Make me feel like Superman”, which makes you feel warm inside. Alex, Nick and Adam are doing their best to hold back their obvious deep-rooted emotions to this band, which has been part of their lives for so long. The encores arrive far too soon and with no disrespect to the support acts I could have easily listened to Fearne all night long; they just have so many great tunes that feature exceptional musical talent, along with some brilliant songwriting.
The three song encore was nothing less than perfect starting with Alex singing “Sophie”, a tune written for his wife who was in the front row watching her husband proudly fighting back the tears. The uplifting “Closer” was sung with the audience singing along word perfect in a beautiful unison with the band. The final tune was one of Alex’s best pieces of work during the band’s career, so it was fitting that it was played last. “Dote on You” is a very simple but effective tune about unashamedly spoiling the one you love. The band invite Jack Grace and long-time friend Adam Phillips to the stage and they deliver their last ever tune. Once again the audience know every word and the tune brings an emotional ending to what was a really fantastic night. Goodbye Fearne; we are going to miss you so much, thank you for all the beautiful tunes you have left us!!
Set List
Took the Game Too Far
Sea of Bills
What it Does
Flu Like Symptoms
These Games
Alive tonight
Green Eye Shadow
You Make Me Feel Like Superman
Numbers
Colour
Rich Man
Histoire D’amore Parts 1
Lily
Five Weeks at Sea
Sophie
Closer
Dote on You (Featuring “The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
Links
http://www.fearnemusic.co.uk
http://jackgracemusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/mattunderdownmusic
http://www.joeboiling.com
Words and Pictures by Dave Chinery (Chinners)
