If there was ever a reason to worship the ground Communion Music walks on, their ‘New Faces’ tour would be it. Perfectly curated by Communion hero Maz Tappuni; Amber Run, Fyfe, Kimberly Anne and Pixel Fix took to storming the country and delivering musical excellence to the masses.
An average Friday night in Oxford was transformed into a bewildering musical feast: with just a feeble black stamp brandished across our hands we entered the dimly lit haven. The Art bar was reasonably busy, a cluster of dedicated fans surrounding the stage, whilst the artists and their friends were scattered amidst the haze of faces towards the bar.
Bursting into the venue, our entrance was soundtracked by the smooth blend of indie and electro that is Pixel Fix. Their ingenious use of clicks and beats form an infectious melody, which Marcus only enhances with his distinctive vocals. Their music seems to ingeniously cater for all moods, reaching the perfect equilibrium between mellow and energetic, allowing the audience to respond to whichever element seems circumstantially fit.
Standing confident and quirky at the forefront of the stage, Kimberly Anne laughed her way into the audience’s hearts. Her rich tonal voice mirrors that of a young Tracy Chapman, and we half expected her to come out with a cover of ‘Fast Car’. Instead she treated us to a classic 90’s dance track ‘Show Me Love’ and there was so much excitement I might have let out a little squeal. Her music, a blend of xylophone, bongos and powerful lyrics, gives well to live performance and lulled the audience into a mesmerised daze. Kimberly provided a much needed sing-along after the instrumental Pixel Fix, and involved the crowd by prompting us to provide the backing vocals in setlist favourite ‘La La’. The mumbles continued well after the set had ended, following us to all corners of the venue- a truly impressive feat!
Discovering that David’s Lyre was now producing music under the name ‘Fyfe’ was the best revelation I’ve experienced in months and I became embarrassingly giddy at the prospect of finally seeing him live. Most opportunely I received word of this delicious line up and Communion had me sold instantly. I was evidently not the only one ridiculously excited to hear Fyfe serenade us, and in a matter of seconds after he appeared on stage, the venue was packed. The sticky floor was no obstacle against the Fyfe enthusiasts, who gave it their all throughout songs ‘For You’ and ‘Solace’, forcing a smile on Paul’s humbled face. Hero status was deservedly awarded to Fyfe when he proceeded to play the anthemic saxophone solo of ‘For You’ on the bass guitar, inspiring mouth-dropping reactions throughout the room.
The buzz noticeably grew as the night drew out and the countdown to Amber Run’s performance was ever decreasing. The charming boys ran onstage, excited to play to such a receptive audience and were rightfully rewarded with the shrill screams of excitement. They launched into single ‘I Found’ and the harmonies cascaded over us, as if gifting our ears with a blissful, early Christmas present. We were treated to a new song titled ‘5am’ which raised curiosity and anticipation for future releases, and possibly an album to come. The goosebumps visibly installed over the entirety of crowd members’ bodies were not alleviated throughout the set, in fact became more prominent as Amber Run’s sound grew more epic. The pinnacle of their set was the infamous ‘Noah’ in which the crowd valiantly tried to out-sing the band. The sheer enthusiasm bursting from both audience and band alike meant that we were not about to accept the evening was over and demanded an encore. The truly humbled Amber Run stepped back on stage to perform ‘Little Ghost’, sending shivers down our spines and inducing a tingling experience that left us quite speechless.
The Communion “New Faces” Tour featuring Amber Run, Kimberly Anne, Pixel Fix and Fyfe wrapped up Monday 10th November in Leeds after 7 shows around the Country. For more information on Communion Music and future shows, check out the official website
Fran Welch
@francescaewelch
Fran Welch
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