The period before a band release their debut album can always be one of the most difficult times in their careers, they are having to tour the new material that people have probably never heard while trying hard not to give too much away and this is exactly where we find London 4 piece Flyte shimmering.
Tonight’s venue, the ever charming and tiny Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham, plays host to the penultimate show of Flyte’s tour that was seen them sell out shows up and down the country. The band kick off tonights proceeding with early single ‘Closer Together’ that reveal the bands strength straight away, the vocals are majestic; tickling your ear drums with the delightful melodies that Flyte have become known for.
The bands promise for this evening is to showcase their new material to the Birmingham crowd packed into the tiny room and we were not disappointed. ‘Kathy Come Home’, the first of the new tracks laid out tonight, again has the crisp and elegant vocals of frontman Will Taylor at the forefront while the harmonies from the rest of the band are reminiscent of Radiohead’s beautiful vocal work on In Rainbows, another new song ‘Sliding Doors’ feels like an all encompassing experience; holding on to you as tightly as a mother holding her baby.
While tonights set is mainly made up of new tracks from the forthcoming debut album the crowd take to each song as if they were old favourites; ‘Orphans of the Storm’, the standout track of the night, was the definition of Flyte’s brilliance, the vocals felt distant like a Siren singing out to a sailor in Greek mythology while the immersive sound wrapped around you like a raging wind. Another new one, you’re starting to see a pattern here aren’t you? ‘Little White Lies’ is a synth driven juggernaut with one hell of a seductive drum beat.
Latest single ‘Victoria Falls’ closes out the main set with an arena filling chorus before the band cheekily just move behind the speaker in the tiny Sunflower Lounge basement before coming back for one more song that was a fitting end to a humble set. Before jumping into final song ‘Faithless’ the band dump their instruments and head into the middle of the crowd with only their voices and an acoustic guitar to hand; the result is a harrowing display of captivating vocals and beautiful songwriting mixed with a humbleness that makes Flyte so well loved.
It’s easy to see why Flyte have gained a core fan base over the years and it’s even easier to see why they been so sought after as well; the 4 piece have all the attributes to create music that has the ability to captivate an audience, both on record and live. Get ready for the debut album because it could be all you listen to for the rest of the year.
Words by Callum McCormack @mccormackcallum