Fun. - 25 July 2012 - The Metro

Their band name invites all sorts of terrible puns, but after seeing them live, the plain and simple fact is that they are very aptly named. I really enjoyed this show - great songs, good showmanship, and the clear joy of performance emanating from a band on the cusp of really making it big, as they faced a sold out all ages gig halfway across the world from their home.

 While I've seen criticism that Fun. songs can often sound overproduced and too busy with their bright mix of beats and genres and instrumentation, the music comes across really well live. The core band (lead singer Nate Ruess, guitarist Jack Antonoff from Steel Train, and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost) were ably supported by their touring band, giving the perfect pop melodies have a better chance to shine. Anthemic songs like Carry On lent themselves well to stirring the enthusiastic crowd while tearjerkers like The Gambler were soft and lovely and clear.

 Carry On

Even with the (surprisingly tuneful) audience clamouring to singalong to everything, as encouraged by Nate, his wonderful voice managed to ring out above it all. Ruess really knows how to use it as an instrument, swooping from high to low and back again, with great tone and warmth. And it didn't hurt he was so beautiful to watch all through the show, with his brilliant grin, so amazed and pleased by the reception. 

The crowd was generally quite young, and I'm pretty sure I saw a child aged 8 year old or thereabouts. So I felt a moment of irony standing in that crowd during their breakout single, singing “WE ARE YOUNG” at the top of my lungs with everyone else - but it didn't spoil the fact it was still a great, epic moment of song.

One Foot 

Walking the Dog 

Why Am I the One 

All Alone 

It Gets Better 

At Least I'm Not as Sad (As I Used to Be) 

Carry On 

The Gambler 

All the Pretty Girls 

Barlights 

We Are Young 

You Can’t Always Get What You Need (Rolling Stones cover) 

 Some Nights 

All Alright