Fat Dog are on the brink of something huge: their debut record is just under two weeks away and tonight’s sweaty basement performance showcases a band on the precipice of monumental success.
Sunday in Manchester has a feeling of quiet calm. Classically Mancunian drizzle covers the city in a fine, grey mist and the various bars and boozers are far emptier than they were 24 hours previously. The collective hangover from Manchester Psych Fest is apparent in everyone, except Fat Dog, that is.
The band are a little late to the stage, which gives the basement ample time to fill up: over a summer of big outdoor shows and festival performances, it is easy to forget quite how special this room is. The ceiling is low, and big air conditioning vents are within touching distance of the heads of any over-enthusiastic pogo-er: the intimate setting is perfect for Fat Dog’s unique brand of dance-funk-punk, their fat riffs and processed beats fill the intimate space with ease from the second the band cram on to the tiny stage.
From minute one, FD are right into it. ‘Vigilante’ and ‘Closer to God’ are pure Fat Dog bangers: huge meaty riffs, dancehall and techno-style beats all accompanied by sludgy bass and sleazy sax. It’s a dense cacophony but works wonders in a live space: something about Fat Dog inspires the wildest pits ever seen on a Sunday and from the get-go, hangover or not, this crowd are right up for it. The band are on fine form too, having played Psych Fest yesterday as well as a big summer of shows it is apparent how sharp they are. Frontman Joe Love is regularly in the crowd, instructing punters to get low before conducting further pit chaos.
WOOF, Fat Dog’s forthcoming debut record, has been co-produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C.), and his Midas touch has worked wonders again. In a megamix of sludgy, funky punk, each part feels perfectly considered and hearing the monumental bass mix with synth and sax parts is a treat for the ears. Watching this play out as a packed YES Basement gleefully slam into one another, backed by the bizarre yet brilliant Klezmer parts in ‘King of The Slugs’ is truly something to behold. Fat Dog feel primed to utterly explode.
A brilliant cover of Benny Benassi’s ‘Satisfaction’ is a real treat, as is the bizarre long-form jam they follow it up with. They’re already a monumental live unit, but WOOF is sure to blast Fat Dog into the stratosphere.
featured image: Pooneh Ghana
