Live

The Fallout Trust

Jennifer Roberts 13/02/2006

'There's a brand new dance but I don't know its name'

With a downcast shuffle onto the stage, The Fallout Trust take their places one by one. Six in all, they fill the miniscule stage. Singer Joe Winter starts with 'When We Are Gone', letting escape a visceral sound that knocks you back full force. An angular Cedric Bixler emerges marked with minor cadences and emotive refrains that send shivers down the spine. There is an obvious bubbling of enthusiasm under the surface that can only be final night joy; on this, their sixteenth date across the country, supported by synth-pop band Computerman; a somewhat calmer version of Welsh boys The Automatic whose intense synth melodies are laced with edgy guitars.

Slick sounds and chiselled jawlines, they look every bit the arty type but have so much more to offer. Winter sporadically convulses around the restricted space, as if possessed, creating shapes last seen circa 1979, but breaking the serious face with moments of pure happiness when a smile cracks, albeit seldom. Every song has a different angle, from the sing-a-long 'Cover Up The Man' to the soothingly solemn 'Take Comfort From Me' sung by bassist Guy Connelly and returning to their multifaceted character in B-side 'Broken News'. They could be lumped into the art-rock indie genre with founders Bowie, Byrne and Eno, but that would be lazy and inadequate. More optimistic sounding than The Arcade Fire, and more layered than the '80s psychedelic synth era; they create their own sound that breaks away from days gone by.


Sister-in-law Jess Winter adds to the impressively sculpted ambience with string accompaniment on 'White Dog'. Clad in a belted skirt ensemble that wouldn't look out of place on the imminent LFW, she brings a touch of glamour to the male dominated company. Momentarily disregarding the amount of people and instruments adorning the stage, such a polished, replete wall of sound shows that this is a band who have taken the time to develop a complete entity; instead of just a killer hook and adding a beat to fill it out. The six portions are skilfully weaved together to form something good, something different and something to remember.
They reach a captivating climax with their current single 'Washout' taken from debut album 'In Case Of The Flood' (At Large records, 27th February). With a shy confidence, they are modest and subtle without compromising the arrangement. For a rollercoaster ride of a set, it left me with an unexpected sense of serenity, musical proof of the phrase 'greater than the sum of their parts'. Together, triumphant, they amble back to rain and reality.