Donning a black suit and hiding behind long black hair, Future Kings of Spain front man Joey Wilson leads a four piece that deliver spiky guitars, head banging choruses and some raucous vocal power.
The launch gig for the Dublin group’s long awaited second album, Nervousystem, The Village isn’t packed, but those in attendance remain focused and concentrated on what is before them: a reasonably tight rock act with some decent tracks under their belt. Much of the set revolves around the brand new record, and while we still yet have to get used to this shinier output, numbers such as ‘Guess Again’ and ‘1981,’ (no, not the Flaws one, even Wilson jokes about this, claiming that they had the title first) are delivered with passion and enthusiasm and never fail to grab our attention.
It’s predictable that the older material was always going to cause a stir and once the soaring chant of ‘Venetian Blinds’ kicks in, it’s hands in the air all round. But there are moments during the set where everything can sound a little samey, and FKOS don’t put on the thrilling and exciting rock show that various parts of tonight’s performance do hint at. There is something special about this band, a fact that is particularly evident during the final song of the night, the excellent ‘Syndicate.’ I’m sure if we give it time and allow the rattling nerves that accompany the release of a new record to shake off, then maybe these guys really could be kings.