Frankie and the Witch Fingers at Mercury Lounge (photo by Kevin McGann)

 

This past weekend Frankie & the Witch Fingers brought their funky, fuzzy, reverberating, psych rock sounds to a packed house at NYC’s Mercury Lounge. And whether people were dancing, moshing or surfing the crowd, the joint was jumpin’ from the first chord.

 

Kicking off the night was GIFT who, like FATWF, have a retro vibe but more like they’re taking you on a trip to outer space. Dreamy vocals and sci-fi keyboards float over a propulsive beat and some serious guitar work on tracks like ‘Gumball Garden’. Named as one of SXSW 2022: The Coolest Things We Saw list from Rolling Stone, it’s not hard to see why.

 

Before FATWF even took the stage the audience was ready to rock and you could feel the energy in the room. Once it kicked off that energy was infectious, from the stage on out to the bar. Dylan Sizemore and Josh Menashe who bookend the stage traded off guitar licks and vocals while Pickle and Nick Aguilar laid down a groove from the middle that alternated between rock, funk, punk, prog, jam and beyond. They somehow manage to incorporate so many disparate influences into a unique sound as evidenced in songs like “Reaper,” “Pleasure,” “Dracula Drug,” and “Cocaine Dream.” And set closer “MEPEM” really demonstrates that blending of sounds with a progressive, hard hitting, groovy beat, topped off with 70’s funk guitar, brass instruments, distorted vocals, and a workout for any drummer.

 

FATWF are currently on tour so grab any chance you can to see one of the most fun, funky, and hard rocking bands out there today. 

 

Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Kevin McGann)

 

GIFT

 

 

FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS