Mando Diao/The Fratellis
Trolling South by Southwest 2007
Reviewed by Greg Beets, Fri., March 23, 2007
Mando Diao/The Fratellis
Dirty Dog Bar, Thursday, March 15
Power-pop's key ingredient is a jerk-worthy, bob-happy beat. Take away a band's ace drummer, and the power component is gone. So let's hear it for Samuel Giers and Mince Fratelli, respectively the drummers for Borlange, Sweden's Mando Diao and Glasgow's Fratellis. Despite a muddy mix that didn't do justice to either band's melodic prowess, the big beat carried the day. Mando Diao was onstage for less than 30 minutes, but keyboards and the occasional burst of trumpet gave the quintet a full-bodied sound as they plowed through contagions like "Long Before Rock 'n' Roll" from their new Ode to Ochrasy. By comparison, the Fratellis are a more elementally Britpop-driven trio with a song ("Flathead") in an iPod ad. The threepiece's cheeky, Supergrass-style charms were also evident in high-flying versions of "Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night" and "Chelsea Dagger" from their new debut, Costello Music. When you've got boundless, beat-driven energy in your arsenal, there's really no need to sweat a bad mix.
