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If you walked out from inside a cave and straight to the Free Energy show at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge last Wednesday night you sure as hell wouldn’t know the economy is in the shitter, unemployment is skyrocketing and our country is hanging on by the last vestiges of the fading American Dream. With gargantuan hooks, choruses chock full of “oooohs”, “nah nah nahs” and wildly flying hair, it was as if “Photograph”-era Def Leppard invited T-Rex, Sweet and all the members of Cheap Trick to an orgy. The Philadelphia five piece mainlined a dynamic, exuberant spirit straight through the sparse crowd and left a room of new fans in its wake.
Free Energy is signed to James Murphy’s DFA record label and the LCD Soundsystem front man produced their debut album Stuck on Nothing. That relationship seems to have helped the band create an arena ready sound full of dueling guitars, Eruption-style finger tapping, and a round, thick pocket of massive mid tempo grooves. With his Members Only jacket and high top Cons, front man Paul Spranger has perfected the "When Harry Met Sally White Man’s Overbite" with such virtuosity he smashes The Boss and Courtney Cox’s version from the “Dancing in the Dark” video. The effervescent interplay between rhythm guitarist Geoff Bucknum’s slashing crunch and lead axeman Scott Wells is a total joy. When Wells dug into his solos, he channeled a warm, polished tone that cut through the room, singing with poignant melody and hitting in all the right places.
Songs like the impossibly catchy “Bang Pop” and “All I Know” were played with a distinct crispness and head banging fervor. The power of Free Energy’s pop-rock combo is irresistible and harkens back to an age when “Bang a Gong” or Slade’s “Cum On Feel the Noize” topped the charts. A combination of Marc Bolan’s gritty strut and the pure passion the band members exude on stage tastes like a Blow Pop’s sweet, sweet shell and soft, chewy center. In our age of irony, Free Energy brings sincere fun back to the stage. Massive smiles were plastered across all faces after the reserved skinny-jean sporting crowd realized Free Energy’s tongue was nowhere near its collective cheek. Though the band didn’t play my favorite Stuck on Nothing track “Hope Child”, I forgive them. Because they merge pure, candy-coated rawk with hopeful lyrical content and an undercurrent of longing for transcendence through passion Free Energy’s live show is heartwarming. Wake up and let it all hang out.
p.s. – Openers The Postelles were incredible as well. Playing a retro-revival catchy brand of New York pop rock, the band mixed a little Strokes with a little Buddy Holly and a lot of sharp hooks. Their self titled debut is sweet.
Photo by Leah Krafft
