Live Review: Fickle Friends & Marsicans - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London 19/10/2018

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Fickle Friends played their biggest headline show to date, when they had a party at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in London earlier this month. And along with the help of support band Marsicans, they turned it into a night to remember.

Have you ever wanted a Palm tree party inside London’s beautiful O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire? I imagine you never thought about it till now but after this past Friday, Palm tree enthusiasts Fickle Friends proved it something you have been missing out on. 

To kick off the paradise party styled evening was the lovely boys from Marsicans. Admittedly I had not listened to much of the Leeds based band before the show but what I heard, I liked. But this supporting act from the boys has truly won me over. Marsicans had an infectious energy whilst all members of the band couldn’t keep still with only drummer Cale staying in the same spot throughout the set. Marsicans unique brand of pop and indie music collide to act as template for bands to follow on how to get a crowd ready and pumped for the headline act and what a headline act it was. 

Summer party anthem generators Fickle Friends came to London in the midst of their latest UK tour put on one hell of a show for crowd, which was marking out for their the arrival of the band on stage and especially for lead singer Nattie. The set kicked off by setting the tone as the band meant to go on, with four songs of their recently released and smash hit album ‘You Are Someone Else.’ Included in the plethora of music from the album was most recent release ‘The Moment’ and it certainly did not take long for the loyal Fickle Friends fans to learn the words as they were all in perfect unison to create rowdy atmosphere inside Shepherds Bush Empire.

We then moved seamlessly into the only song that dropped the pace, ‘Paris.’ The song acted as moment's rest for a crowd that were a real attribute to the entire night, the crowd can often be the difference between a good show and great show but the combined mixture of sublime indie party music and atmosphere similar to that of a school house party, where everyone knows each other and their to have the best night in recent memories. As the night started to draw to a close, Nattie thanked the crowd for making this a special night to great cheers and applause. We had three songs left, and Fickle Friends left the best till last with a combination of the last song from the latest album ‘Useless’ and the band’s two most famous songs after numerous plays on stations such as BBC Radio 1, ‘Swim’ and ‘Glue.’ This where the night reached it’s fantastic high point as classic Fickle Friends played, the confetti cannons hit to put the cherry on top of the cake.

Words and Photography by Alfie Drake