Full energy from Full Fat
Full Fat are a trio of musicians, originally founded in Aberdeen, but have been a presence in the Edinburgh music scene for the last few years. Appearing at this year’s Jazz and Blues Festival, their music style is “best described as hard to define but impossible to ignore”, and over a 2 hour set at the Leith Dockers Club, an engaged audience were treated to a packed set-list of original music and crowd-pleasing covers.
Front man Fraser McKain, effortlessly affable with the crowd as well as the band, noted that whilst they were initially very blues and roots driven, their sound has evolved, and that high energy blues, with funk, rock and soul influences was out in full force.
The 20 song strong set-list was carefully curated to provide a mix of their own songs and covers, with thoughtful commentary from Fraser about his inspirations, and a heartfelt tribute to his girlfriend’s grandfather towards the end of the show (with a cover of “Careless Whisper”, it’s clear he speaks from a place of authenticity as well as creativity.
Highlights from the first act included a jazzy covers of “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”, and John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom Boom”, and a bouncy “Take Your Mama Out” by Scissor Sisters. From the original songs, the slow and bluesy “Come Break My Heart” begs to be sung at 4am in a jazz club, full of raw emotion, and “Mimosa Mondays” typifying their higher energy vibe.
The venue didn’t have the most intuitive of layouts – the fixed banks of seating more suited for bingo or dominos, but this didn’t stop patrons from joining the dancefloor. Shout out to the Festival staff who turned off the harsh fluorescent lighting for the second act – although it’s to the credit of Full Fat that this didn’t diminish their performance or the ambience.
Following the break, the second act contained more of Full Fat’s original work – my favourites being “Atmosphere”, with a rocky edge to it, and a cracking bass solo from Fraser Urquhart, and “Young Pretender” a tribute to those feeling a bit of imposter syndrome, complete with easy swing-y energy and shimmering cymbals.
We finished with a medley, keeping the small dance-floor moving, and an appreciative squeal from one dancer as they dropped into “Jailhouse Rock”, and then “Johnny B. Goode”. It was a nice touch to see Fraser weave his way through the audience to shake hands with the EBJF staff before briefly joining the throng on the dance floor.
Traditionalists looking for some classic blues might feel a bit put off, but those of us looking for a good time, and something to dance to, should definitely look out for future performances.
Find out more about Full Fat on their website and socials: https://linktr.ee/fullfatband and
Their album “Live in Leith: An evening with Full Fat and friends” is available to listen and purchase on Bandcamp, with songs also available on Spotify