Teenage Fanclub bring their unmistakable jangling guitars and decades of indie classics to Hackney Church for a holy communion of power pop.
Teenage Fanclub are understated legends of UK indie and, with 37 scheduled dates for their new album tour, one of the hardest-working bands in recent years. The London date saw Hackney Church host the Fannies last Friday, a spectacular venue for such an occasion and the first time they’ve played there. With their new record Do Not Dare to Dream being released a month prior, we’ve all had time to have a good listen.
There is a generally positive consensus about the new LP from the press, collectively describing it as warm, thoughtful, comforting, therapeutic and displaying a gentle defiance. To add to this collation of reviews, I would add that it is mature, a sonically pleasing collection and one of their most orchestrated. Teenage Fanclub have been compared to the Byrds for decades and it feels like the trajectory is complete. From the jangly, rocking early years to fully fleshed-out folk rock, reminiscent of the Byrds’ respective later solo works.
This was my first time attending Hackney Church and, funnily enough, my second church-based gig of the week after Radie Peat’s atmospheric show at Union Chapel. Upon entering, I posted up towards the back and directly between the four speaker stacks clinging to the chapel’s high, ivory ceilings. St John at Hackney is a stunning venue and seems as if it would enhance any musical genre, but Teenage Fanclub’s wall-of-sound guitars echoed brilliantly around the house of worship.
The setlist was a nice mix of old and new, opening with ‘Tired of Being Alone’, a single off the preceding record Nothing Lasts Forever. The sound was initially a little bassy but evened out quickly and they were clearly on a roll. They swiftly followed on with a couple of melodious classics, ‘About You’ and ‘Metal Baby’. Around this time, Norman spotted indie legend and Glass Records founder Dave Barker in the mezzanine, prompting a frantic remark about him putting out their first single, to which applause ensued.
Halfway through the set, I realised the band were all wearing black shirts. Whether this was intentional or not considering the venue, they did rather look like a band of reverends conducting a sermon in jangle pop, which made me chuckle. The middle section saw the band play five in a row from the new record. These were tight, polished and I didn’t think I’d say it but suited them better in their maturity. It would make sense as these are songs written within their new direction and reflect their lives now. The band have clearly worked very hard as these were flawless and continued to be into the last segment.
The concert continued with songs from recent albums, some deep cuts, renowned hits and a handful of Scottish wit. I’ve seen them play a few times now but their primo ballad ‘The Concept’ is always a breath-taker live. The crowd really was in awe as Raymond played the solo note-for-note during the six-minute sonic excursion. As the main show ended, everyone eagerly waited for the impending encore. They sauntered back on stage and performed ‘It's All in My Mind’ and ‘Can't Feel My Soul’. As the lights turned to a deep red, consuming the pristine walls of Hackney’s holy venue, the Fannies went into their infamous closer and first single, ‘Everything Flows’. Few bands can boast a closer this good, let alone have it as their very first single. It’s a track that means a lot to me as I’m sure it does to many others.
It’s clear that ‘The Bellshill Beach Boys’ haven’t lost their touch, but have instead matured gracefully, with a newfound warmth and gentle melancholy. Playing on Dylan’s words: they were so much younger then, they’re older than that now.
Photography By: Matt Shaw