Fun & Famous
THE BEST CONCERT IN THE WORLD: FAT FREDDY’S DROP
About six years ago, a friend invited me to a concert of a band from New Zealand. Fat Freddy’s Drop was the name, great their fame. At least, according to my friend, I had never heard of them before. It was raining cats and dogs that day and I really didn't feel like it at all, but I went along anyway. Once inside the Melkweg in Amsterdam, it was packed, boiling hot, and there was a tension and excitement in the air that you don't often experience.
My soaked clothes quickly became even wetter from all the spilled beer, because the audience was quite enthusiastic. What can I say; I had never seen such an ecstatic crowd standing in front of a stage. Fat Freddy’s Drop has quite loyal fans, who love to dance, and then forget that they are holding a glass of beer. It took about ten minutes before I got over my grumpiness from the rain and was jumping and dancing just as enthusiastically; the fat Freddys had gained a loyal fan.
Since then, I attend all their concerts in the Netherlands, and not a week goes by that I don't dance around the house to their music. It's a kind of mix between reggae, dub, soul, jazz, and techno. Sounds a bit vague, but it is quite a musical group that mainly has a lot of fun making music and doesn't easily fit into a box. What it ultimately comes down to is this: a seven-member band from New Zealand, each one extremely eccentric, who with their uplifting and danceable music have an incredibly loyal following and repeatedly fill sold-out venues.
And last night it was that time again. They were in a completely sold-out Paradiso, and the audience was, as always, totally ecstatic. Especially the song ‘Shiverman’ always causes a total explosion of enthusiasm; everyone jumps and dances, and you have never seen so much joy together. The band originated from different artists who played in different bands and jammed together a few times. And that’s also what they do on stage. They do have studio albums, but they are primarily known for their live performances, which time and again are the best medicine against gloom.
Together with 1500 cheering, screaming, dancing, bouncing ecstatic people I was in Paradiso last night and for a moment you forget all the stupid things happening in your life, and it’s all about happiness and joy. The band members are, as mentioned, a special bunch. There’s Iain Gordon, better known as ‘Dobie Blaze’, he plays the keyboards and did so last night in a onesie with a camouflage print. Or Joe Lindsay a.k.a. ‘Hopepa’, he plays the trombone and secretly is always the star of the show because he likes to dress in, uh, eye-catching outfits. He has a huge beer belly and was wearing a sort of white pajama with rhinestones last night and halfway threw on a shiny pink party cloak. Really, it’s a party.
Good news: on April 5, they have an extra concert in Paradiso. You better buy a ticket quickly, because it always sells out. See below a video I made last night, so you know a bit of what to expect. And there’s a good chance you’ll see me bouncing around again, because you can never get enough of Fat Freddy’s Drop.
