Words and photographs by: Nate Vandermeulen When Adebisi Shank and Fang Island came through town the other weekend, there was a palpable level of excitement and anticipation as both bands have a completely justifiable reputation for rocking the sh*t out of whatever venue they find themselves in at any given time. Though it was a rare early show at Soda Bar, the crowd showed up to join in the fun and fun was had, regardless of the lack of time available to toss back a few drinks before the music kicked in. I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing Adebisi Shank before but will seek them out the next time they’re in the area, which should be relatively soon as they are apparently putting the finishing touches on their third album once this tour is over. There couldn’t be a more perfect tour mate for Fang Island, as the Irish trio ripped through a relatively short set of similarly short, aggressive prog rock. Their live show is notable mostly for two things- bassist Vin McCreith’s hooded face mask and the pace and intensity of the music. That a three piece is able to put together such a big sound is truly the sign of exceptional musicianship, and the have talent is spades. Their songs are 95% instrumental and I’m not sure any additional vocals would be a tangible addition to what they put out there. Though the floor didn’t fill up until later in the set, those in attendance got bang for the buck (and also got to rock out up front with a couple members of the headlining act).

The last time Fang Island came through SD was about two and a half years ago (touring in benefit of their exceptional self titled sophomore album) and if you were on board with them back then, the combination of absence and a new album- the just released Major- were sure to bring you out for the early set time. These guys definitely are not in the business of f**king around and after possibly breaking a record for quickest stage set-up, they immediately launched into a blistering 45 minute set. This is not to say that there is no crowd interaction, because these guys clearly love what they do and love the people who love what they do even more. Though they come in mostly the three minute variety, their songs do not lack in content, which is stating the obvious as any time you have three guitarists, a bassist and a drummer playing intricately written math rock at breakneck speed, you’re going to get all of the face melting goodness you can handle. The breaks between songs were punctuated by group high fives, words of appreciation and a general vibe of ‘This is AWESOME’, but were brief enough to keep the energy level up as they blasted through a solid mix of new and old tracks, relying mostly on material from the new album while peppering in the fan favorites from earlier efforts. Once the last note faded, all five members descended off the stage for another round of high fives from the appreciative crowd and promises to return before another 27 months pass.