Live Review: black fox

4 April 2012 | 2:25 pm | Cassandra Fumi

There are a lot of beer drinkers with matching tattoos, mulling around the entrance to the Workers bandroom. Upon entering, a welcoming party headed by Black Fox's lead singer Dane Robertson's mum, dad and sister are armed with temporary tattoos for the Day In Lieu/Monarch single launch. Tattoo or not tattoo? Minimal contemplation occurs and we are now sporting pirate tatts.

The lights drop and a line of girls appear at the front of the stage. They begin to dance immediately, creating a wall at the front of the stage that cushions Robertson. He oozes confidence that begins with his husky vocals and solidifies in his dance moves.

Robertson appears to be emulating a young Mick Jagger with his risqué dance moves. He could easily be the lovechild of The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach (vocally) and Jagger (physically). The minute there is an instrumental, Robertson tosses the mic over his shoulder (like a handbag) and struts (like he's walking down Rodeo Drive). Some of the moves are questionable, but Robertson executes them with such confidence and commitment that the crowd accepts all of them, even the spin on the ground that occurs mid-chorus during She Said. The whole set sounds crisp, much to the delight of the throng's ears. Every instrument is at the right level and the only thing at a higher level is Robertson's dance moves, which don't make a sound. Robertson says, “Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. We've been working on this album for more than a year,” and then admits to having a cold (but you certainly can't tell). Black Fox are confident tonight and rightfully so.

Day In Lieu starts with the evocative lyrics: “Move with the beat of your broken heart.” And the crowd sure does. Monarch explodes on the Workers stage. A female saxophonist gets up and plays with the boys. This injection of jazz comes at the end part of the song and really complements the rock mix. Robertson is cutting loose as he spits out the lyrics like venom, in a strangely sexy way. “Will my eyes kill me tonight,” spurs on the shivers and is stuck on repeat for a while.

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After some pre-gig listening, it's clear that Black Fox are a band that are better experienced live as each song is elevated. Just as we were getting into it, it finishes. It's obvious the crowd are keen to hear more. What do they say? Always leave in the middle of a party? Well, Black Fox leave too early. Ah well, guess we'll have to wait 'til their debut album Line Of Sight is released.