Feable Weiner - Manchester Academy - 2.10.04

Feable Weiner go down with Bowling For Soup's fans like Michael Moore in a Republicans conference. From the moment they walk on-stage a barrage of missiles ensue with the predominantly teenage audience not knowing what to make of the Tennessee four piece. It all goes to suggest that good music is wasted on the young as Feable Weiner follow in the traditions of Weezer and Fountains Of Wayne in making kookie genius pop records.

After a shaky start with the first song it's the double whammy of "Strawberry Debutante" and "7th Grade" that win over the crowd temporarily despite the fact that they don't know how to mosh in variable tempos and therefore are a tad lost when the punk-pop template is ripped up and replaced by good time rock and roll which knows no boundaries. The harmonies of Atom and Josh are juxtaposed by the yodel-like vocals of Benja and while it shouldn't work it hits the spot every time. Most of Feable Weiner's time is spent being pre-occupied over some chick they can't catch the attention of, the rest of their time is self depreciating mocking with that hidden confidence that they're really better than the other guys around town. They're the sort of band you could imagine stepping out of Happy Days and forever being Richie while wanting to be the Fonz. "San Deem Us Ready" sounds like Chuck Berry jamming with Brian Wilson. "Handjabs" sounds like a lost song from forgotten Britrockers Silversun, "U Minus Cool" features the great put down "u are you minus cool" which could come straight out of a Jerry Springer highlights show.

With the album "Dear Hot Chick" coming out on Must Destroy Records (The Darkness / Goldie Lookin Chain / Do Be Bad Things) this month it will be interesting to see how the band transfer to a UK audience. While they won over a sizeable chunk of the audience by the end of the night you can't help feeling there were more appreciate audiences they could have chosen to make they UK debut.

Alex McCann

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