Bands that are well into their third decade together tend to fall into one of the following categories; at best they are classic artists of the finest vintage on tour for ever and ever; at worst turgid has-beens cashing in on long-faded former glories. Or they are Mick and Keef.
Brightons’ very own Fujiya & Miyagi kicked off their career over 20 years ago, but still thankfully transcend these definitions. The band have regularly released albums since 2002, but their new long player ‘Slight Variations’ could be their most refined yet and tonight’s show is all about the launch party.
Within a few bars of opener ‘Non-Essential Worker’ a chugging, mid-tempo electronic disco rhythm is established that stays with us for the rest of the evening. Drummer Ed Chivers (apparently on loan from Brighton synthcore kings AKDK) really knows how to run a tight shop and is the engine that the band is built around. Meanwhile, singer Dave Best sports a very fine silver jacket, adding a suitably disco shimmer.
The guitars are prog, the synths are 80s, the vocals hushed and the 8-bit antics reach a beautifully super-produced singularity that isn’t a million miles away from – and bear with us here – INXS. No wonder then that their music has oft been used on TV and soundtracks the world over. The set gently swells and crescendos and there is an intimate energy to the vintage synth waves as Best’s understated vocals downplay much of the performance.
This careful control is counter to a sound that often comes close to exhilaration and so the set fails to really ignite. Whilst this may be a conscious choice, we’d love to hear what would happen if they really tried to untether. The band don’t quite have the harmonic hooks to turn these perfectly programmed parcels into euphoric pop gold and that may be one explanation as to why they never achieved next-level stardom. Again, it’s possibly a deliberate choice.
Fujiya & Miyagi are sophisticated artists and precision musicians who have been around the Pitchfork-sponsored block more than a few times. But the music is too good for them to end up on one of those insipid Shine On Weekender tours to which many other acts with a similar longevity have succumbed. Their new album is superbly crafted and their live shows are very obviously given the same careful, loving treatment. Patterns was packed and jumping and the well deserved encore, we hope, will last another 20 years.
Patterns, Thursday 13th October 2022
Words and photos by Jason Warner
