Given the chaos of Fat Dog’s sets seen by our reviewers at Glastonbury and Truck Festivals last summer, it might have been reasonable to expect a pretty young demographic at this gig, so imagine my surprise when upon arrival I was a long way from being the oldest punter present. The crowd could easily be described as having an arts centre vibe, which for some bands can mean a subdued audience with less pit activity than may otherwise be expected.
This wasn’t the case for Fat Dog.
From the drop a minute and a half into opener Vigilante the crowd was dancing, bouncing up and down in apparent sheer ecstasy in a way I really didn’t expect given its make up. A core of 30-40 of the crowd kept this up throughout, maintaining momentum even during the six unreleased songs played, Boomtown, Call Me If You Want BRAT, Ballad, Pray To That, Bad Dog and Fuck Urself.
As well as bringing the tunes to get people dancing, the band also brought to the table some of the quirks that have made them a favourite - no dog head mask from drummer Johnny Hutch at this gig, but keyboardist Chris Hughes performed in chain mail for the bulk of the set and also spent the majority of Wither playing rock, paper scissors with saxophonist Morgan Wallace. The crowd were also treated to a lot of up close and personal time with vocalist Joe Love, who spent a large percentage of the set perched atop the barrier. The front row lapped it up.
If that bodes well for the band ahead of a big festival summer and presumably a second album in early autumn, then an even better omen was the enthusiasm of the pit during the songs from debut album WOOF.
Seven minute long epic King of the Slugs was a particular highlight, while the final run of four songs, which included new single Peace Song, Wither, and ended on Running, provoked a maelstrom of energetic moshing which a huge number of the crowd clearly wanted to continue.
Fat Dog are definitely a band to catch on this tour run if you can snag tickets for one of the many sold out shows, or at a festival this summer. Bigger things beckon.
Support
It’s not often you see a guitarist and bassist switching instruments mid way through a set, which made it seem appropriate during Y’s support set. The difficult to define driving beats and catchy brass hooks served as a suitable appetiser for the main course. With just one song, Why, released so far and a four track EP available for pre-order, the band have little online presence - perhaps not helped by their enigmatic and difficult to search name.
Nonetheless, with their spot on this tour and a slick video for their first two singles, clearly the backing from Hideous Mink records is there to help them become a hit.