Five Alarm Funk tore up the Slice again on Wednesday, June 26 for a packed house.
They are known as much for their live shows as they are for their toe tapping music featuring piercing horns and three thunderous drummers. While they usually use an array of props an costumes, for this show, the crowd had to be content with the music — which featured lots of sweat, lots of brass, lots of thunderous drums and lots of pretty women clustered in front of the stage dancing in time to all of the above.
Conga player Thomas Towers , dressed like an organ grinder’s gypsy monkey, jumped up and down a and thrashed away at this drums.
He’s usually the one wearing the costumes, but other than donning thick glasses for their song “the Critic,” was content to try to jump as high as he could.
The crowd jumped along with him, as the band didn’t miss a note. They grinned and smiled as the horn section blew as loudly as they could.
They played the music form their upcoming concept album about a deranged ice cream man, which was a hit. They develop their show as they tour, so I can’t wait to see what visuals they come up with for this album. It just cries out for craziness. They will be back to play CKXU’s Love and Records, on Sept. 14 , so hopefully we will see it then.
As always, “ the Critic” was a highlight because of the humour and Towers’ facial expressions, as was “Crime of Passion,” featuring Towers looking menacing while banging on a triangle. He usually dresses in drag ad attacks drummer/ vocalist Tayo Branston, but didn’t this time. They are primarily an instrumental band, but added vocals to a couple more songs, most of them the newer ones.
