fiN

The Borderline gig was a double celebration, as fiN released their second single ‘Everybody dies alone’/’Rapture’. After supporting Feeder on their brief tour of England, fiN finally stepped into the limelight.

Whilst waiting for the debut headliners, the crowd were treated to 2 support bands that won’t be forgotten in a hurry. To kick off the evening were Van Susans (well 2 out of the 6 members). Van Susans played a small acoustic set lead by the dazzling vocals of front man Olly Andrews.

After a quick set, up stepped the Surrey indie band Raba. Raba were certainly heavier than their predecessors, sounding more like a modern day Bon Jovi. The 4 band members, lead by namesake Scott Raba, began to sound more and more like Oasis (the guitar riffs)as their half an hour set progressed. Warming the crowd up perfectly for the arrival of debut headliners fiN, on a bitterly cold evening.

Finally, after 2 hours since the evening began, the headliners (fiN) entered the stage. They kicked off in fine fashion with ‘The Artisan’, a fine choice for an introduction (wordless), which was featured on their debut single. Following ‘The Artisan’, fiN increased the volume for their new single ‘Rapture’. ‘Rapture’, one of fiN’s heavier songs, brought the crowd to their feet after a slightly mellow introduction.

Reverting back to a mellow melody, fiN played ‘It changes everything’ which enticed the crowd to join in with singer Luke Joyce! The crowd were certainly most involved and loudest with the chorus lyrics ‘it changes everything’.

We got a special surprise when multi talented musician Emma Stevens joined fiN on stage briefly, continuing her cameo from when fiN supported Incubus on their tour at the back end of 2011. If you get a chance, definitely give Emma a listen as she is certainly a star in the making (seems appropriate when talking about fiN).

In contrast to Rapture, the second part of the new single launch ‘Everyone dies alone’ was every bit as emotional as the song title suggests. With a slow start (as you would expect), the song comes into its own (just after a minute), with Joyce and company really stepping out of the shadows. Sounding more like a song by the Manics (Manic Street Preachers), everyone dies alone was the perfect choice for a single and I expect it to be heard via the airwaves of XFM soon enough!

The encore consisted of crowd (and my) favourite ‘Life is wasted on the living’. This musical ballad was a perfect way to finish a flourishing evening. With the chorus ‘You walk away but that causes problems’ repeated constantly, the song and the show finally ended in fine fashion with every member of fiN going nuts with their respective instruments.

As support bands go, fiN are certainly one of the best. Nevertheless on their first headline gig, it’s easy to see why so many people feel that they will have a long and prosperous future in music!