Future Islands are a band that you either know about or you don’t. For some, the name conjures images of an enigmatic frontman, dad-dancing his way across a stage whilst his band play a subtle blend of melancholic synth pop, for others, it’s the blank expressions that give away the fact that they are none the wiser and think that you’re a bit mad trying to explain the band.

Having already stepped foot on UK soil earlier in the year, tonight saw the plucky quartet perform their final show of their second UK tour at The Great Hall, a venue nestled within the heart of the Exeter University complex which is a firm favourite for bands commanding a larger space to cater for their fanbase. Whilst tonight wasn’t packed to the rafters, I would say that it was 90% full by the time the main act took to the stage which was a delight to see on a cold midweek evening in November.

I was trying to find the reason the band were on tour, the last album release was in 2020, they're not warming up for a major UK festival (they've all been and gone for 2022), maybe they just thought that a trip back to the UK would be in order as we're all such bloody good eggs (that'll be it!)

Opening up proceedings was a four piece act called Laundromat who kicked out a lush blend of lo-fi, motorik grooves which demanded your attention to notice the subtle but brilliant twists as the set progressed.

The architect of Laundromat is Brighton based Toby Hayes who I caught up with after the show for a chat, lovely chap who lives for creating and performing his wares and to be asked to support Future Islands on the second leg of their UK tour was a dream come true. Those who know me will understand my addiction to buying vinyl and with Toby happily chatting to me, I felt my hands reach towards a copy of his latest offering ‘En Bloc’ which featured his Blue, Green and Red EPs all together on one tasty slice of wax. This collection is how the songs were originally intended to be heard, featuring segues and soundscapes fusing the tracks resulting in one virtually continuous piece of music - a feast for the ears and after a few plays, I can honestly say that it has earned its right to a place on my shelf. For more info on Laundromat and to check out his wares, head to linktr.ee/laundromat

After the swarm of roadies and hired hands blitzed the stage of all things not Future Islands, the lights dipped and a backing track played, heralding the arrival of the main act.

Having never seen the band live before aside from when they appeared on Jools Holland's 'Later' a few years back (does that count?), I was excited about the thought of their set and to see if the previous reviews I had read would make their performance come to life a little more for me this evening.

With six studio albums under their belts, there was certainly no shortage of tracks to fill their time on stage and despite their relatively early start time, it was great to see them perform 21 songs which took them to the edge of their curfew.

From the get go, it was clear that tonight was all about dancing, enigmatic frontman Samuel Herring very much leading the charge with his unique blend of movement which saw him transitioning between ballet, cossack, high kicks and just about every other style known to man as he gyrated and pirouetted across the stage to get the true feeling of their music to the masses. It was fascinating watching him perform, he really put all of his heart and soul into every word that passed his lips, his facial expressions showed that every line meant the world to him, be it a personal memory of lost love or a positive vibe that, coupled with the band's output, came across effortlessly.

Their modern day pop sound harks back to influences from the early days of post punk and new wave but nods to other genres including krautrock, indie and grunge could also be identified. The melodic bass reeked of Joy Division, New Order and even early Pixies which came as no surprise as bass player William Cashion admits to having grown up with these acts. The band performed flawlessly, everyone playing their part as they should, allowing a solid, stable soundscape for which Samuel to launch his charismatic vocals which ranged from soulful crooning to gutteral roars which surprised as well as pleased. The music reminded me of travel, movement and general direction, its motorik, almost drum machine-like rhythms made you question that they were actually being provided by a human but they were, which made for an even more immersive and personal experience.

Highlights of the set for me included 'Seasons (Waiting on You)', the opening number 'For Sure', 'Time on her Side' and 'Ran'. The Lions share heralding from their 2017 long player 'The Far Field' but I'm sure that it won't be long until their newer material grows legs and climbs into my head, manifesting itself along with their other classics.

Tonight was a night of joyous music, entertainment, love, warmth, dance, theatre, ballet and storytelling, something that Future Islands have been honing over the past 16 years and are masters in every field. Tonight's show has wet my appetite enough to catch them the next time they visit the UK or even a European city, if you're on the fence, I strongly suggest that you invest some time on a popular streaming site that rhymes with 'Nottypie' and then go and dive deep into their back catalogue, where you'll soon realise that they provide food for the soul and I'm reckoning that you'll be paying more than one visit to their 'consume all you can' sonic buffet!

Setlist

For Sure

Hit the Coast

Time on Her Side

Plastic Beach

Peach

Walking Through That Door

A Dream of You and Me

Ran

Before the Bridge

Light House

Corner Of My Eye

A Song for Our Grandfathers

Ancient Water

King of Sweden

Seasons (Waiting on You)

Long Flight

Tin Man

Encore

Inch of Dust

Vireo's Eye

Beach Foam

Little Dreamer

Words and Pictures by Steve Muscutt