06 November 2021 (gig)
07 November 2021
One of the most inventive and unique acts that emerged from MTV's original heyday was The Fixx. While they annoyingly get labeled as an "80s band" (their commercial peak was their "Reach the Beach" record in 1983), they have existed now for over 40 years (and still sport their classic lineup) and have been creating superb music all along.
Fastball, who still has their original lineup which includes, Tony Scalzo (bass and vocals), Miles Zuniga (guitar and vocals), and Joey Shuffield (drums and vocals), are best known for the monstrous 1998 hit "The Way." However, they have put out seven albums full of fantasic power-pop tunes over their 26-year career.
The Fixx, performed on a bill with Fastball, on Saturday November 6, 2021, at the Chevalier Theater in Medford, Massachusetts.
Opening the show, Fastball came out with Scalzo and Zuniga both armed with acoustic guitars (Shuffield never appeared), and ran through a plethora of the band's smartly-crafted strains.
Amongst the many highlights were "I Will Never Let You Down," a fantastic piece where the protagonist lists all his perceived faults to a potential mate, but also stresses he will be ultra-reliable as a suitor.
"You're an Ocean" (which had originally featured brand new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, the late Billy Preston, on the studio verion of the song) usually comes off as a bouncy song with summer-ish vibes, but was more poignant in a stripped-down version, as the pain of an unrequited love in the lyrics was more evident.
The irresistible "Soul Radio" was charming, as was "Andrea," which concerns an upcoming school reunion of a man longing to see his former crush. In a major twist, when he finally sees "Andrea," she is now a man called "Andy."
The catchy "Fire Escape" is a fun song of one man's insecurity in a relationship, as he feels a bit uneasy about his identity and their future as a couple.
Scalzo and Zuniga were a smash as a duo and, when they harmonized, it reminded this writer of The Everly Brothers. Ironically, Scalzo said the The Fixx's singer, Cy Curnin, said the same thing to them, so they pulled out a phenomenal cover of the Everly's "All I Have to Do is Dream."
Superb versions of their 1999 hit "Out of My Head," "The Help Machine" (the title track form their wonderful 2019 CD), and the band's iconic ultra-smash, "The Way," certainly makes one scratch their head as to why Fastball has not had a dozen more Top-40 hits over the years.
The Fixx (with members Curnin on vocals, Rupert Greenall on keyboards, Adam Woods on drums, Jamie West-Oram on guitar, and Dan K. Brown on bass) opened with deep-cuts such as "Touch" (from the 2003 disc, "Want That Life"), "How Much Is Enough?" (from the 1991 release, "Ink"), and "Cause to Be Alarmed" (from 1989's "Calm Animal" record).
The band's 1984 hit "Are We Ourselves" was played early on and is a great throwback to the group's post-"Reach The Beach" days. Curnin, who has harldy aged since their MTV glory days, was a ball of engery all night with his non-stop moves and eclectic hand and arm movements.
"Deeper and Deeper" was one of the many high points of the evening. The closing theme from the 1984 Walter Hill film, "Streets of Fire," "Deeper and Deeper" is a synthesiser-and-bass driven-atmospheric formation with smart wordplay ("The yuppie in the suit/The man with a flute/What did he steal"?). Why the song was not a much bigger hit is a mystery.
The Fixx continued with "Opinions," and the eternally irresistible ultra-hit "One Thing Leads to Another," before harking back to their first US-charting single "Stand or Fall" (from 1982's stellar "Shuttered Rooms" album), whose brilliantly-written sublime lyrics capture the fear of war and are as effective today as they were four decade ago. The set ended with "Driven Out" (also from "Calm Animals"), and the climactic and bass-heavy "Red Skies."
The encore was highlighted by the title track from "Saved By Zero," and a thrilling extended version of "Secret Separation," which ended a marvelous night from two bands who still produce first-rate outputs of music.
