Fruit Bats
Independent - Aug 25, 2009
review by nikkiroddy

For what started as a four-track project in the mid 90's for Eric D. Johnson, Fruit Bats has done an excellent job of growing up into a real rock band. Friendships and tours with Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine, and Vetiver inspired record labels to initially take notice, and Johnson’s move to permanently join The Shins in 2007 undoubtedly helped grow the Fruit Bats’ fan base. But if the audience was expecting to see a mini-Shins show when Fruit Bats took the stage at The Independent recently, they were pleasantly proved wrong.

Powering through jam band-like renditions of material from all four of their albums, the five-piece confirmed they have a bittersweet rustic pop sound, both simplistic and mature, that is uniquely their own. Show highlights included the band's renditions of "Primitive Man", "The Ruminant Band," and ultimate feel-good track, "When U Love Somebody", which transformed the packed crowd into a giant swaying, grooving mass, singing along to every word.

The highest point of the night, however, was the cover of INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart". Ripping through the song with biting, bluesy intensity, Johnson left the entire audience in stunned elation, breathlessly muttering 'holy shit' to each other. Two encores later, everyone was spent. Fruit Bats are not The Shins, and if you see them live, you'll know that's just fine.

posted Sep 22, 2009
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