Sweat dripping and spit flying, Friendly Fires played the danciest set of SXSW at Windish Agency’s showcase at ND on Thursday night. After an enjoyable but dialed down run of Jamie Woon and Mount Kimbie, Friendly Fires brought a different sort of British flavor to the stage, blowing the roof off the place with a high energy show that had feet moving from moment one. Theirs is a brand of synth pop that is truly impressive, simultaneously sonically interesting and imminently familiar.
The band played a good long set of songs, drawing from their self titled debut album as well as from new material off of Pala, their album slated for a May release. The material was stellar across the board, and the crowd sang every word they’d heard before.
