Fleet Foxes @ The The Tivoli

According to the Chinese calendar, 2008 was the year of the rat. Some would argue however that 2008 was the year of the fox, the Fleet Fox.

‘Fleet foxes’, heralding from the moistened city of Seattle, released both their second EP Sun Giant and self titled debut album last year, to colossal acclaim worldwide. Like a union between a Medieval English Banquet and Pet Sounds, the Fleet Foxes have received praise for their swirling harmonies and lyrical narrative, which like a pre-Gregorian ancient chant, often depict scenes of nature amid the changing seasons. 

The band’s supposed influences have been described as everything from baroque and psychedelic style to traditional Japanese and Irish music. Regardless of where their inspiration has been drawn, accolades for the five piece’s first album remain overwhelming. Pitchfork Media’s 50 Best Albums of 2008 cited Fleet Foxes as the critic’s number one choice, while the band also topped Billboard’s 2008 best album round-up. Within Australia, the group received considerable Triple-J airplay after a rotation as feature album in July.

After their swift rise, I was lucky to catch them during the Brisbane leg of their first Australian tour, which included side shows in the major East Coast cities and a feature in the Falls Festival line-up. The Foxes opened with the entrancing A cappella number, Sun Giant, from their EP, then moved into punchier songs from the album, such as Ragged Wood.

The thing that struck me about the Fleet Foxes, apart from their glaringly obvious ability to produce a melodic feast as good if not better live than recorded, was their humility. No monstrous rock ego’s here, the Foxes seemed to enjoy performing as much as the audience enjoyed listening, and had several between-song open conversations on Juice Bars, Crystal Deodorant and the Secret Organisation of Shopping Mall Santas.

As a treat, the audience witnessed two remarkable un-amplified and un-plugged solo numbers while lead singer, Robin, ‘tested the acoustics’ of The Tivoli’s high ceilings.

After this first exposure, audiences will be waiting to see what’s in store from the Fleet Foxes, and whether 2009 holds in it another classic album and accompanying Australian tour.

- Sam McCormack