It's often discomforting in a small club. Instead, Harrison is always alight, jumping and flailing like a rag doll with hot wire inserts, in a relentless effort to work himself and the crowd into whatever state of emotional panic or rapture Fairgrove is attempting in a given song. It's pure spectacle, and it's one of the reasons Fairgrove has done so well as a performing band in Seattle.
Fans dig the freak-out.
And, to his credit, Harrison's take on pop iconism seems less affected than it is unique and intrinsic. Drummer Chris Vandebrooke, also of the more recent Transmarine, is a confident, ambitious player who, despite the occasional overzealous fill, is consistent, heavy-hitting, and ambidextrously impressive. He is a percussionist of the rolling thunder variety, perfectly placed in a guncotton affair such as Fairgrove. Michael Graham's guitar intelligently vacillates between buzz-saw affectedness and more traditional, fundamentally skillful riffs, as Harrison's lead keyboard lines interweave with the melody to create a cacophonous musical experience. Fairgrove has a new bassist.