Francis and The Lights
Since 2007, Francis Farewell Starlight, frontman for the New York City based Francis and The Lights, has been cultivating a unique brand of rockstar that deviates from any previous archetype. His music sometimes receives comparisons to Prince, and although Francis displays a similar showmanship and musical prowess to the pop hero, he takes those qualities in a different direction by applying the mid-century design mantra of “Less is more”. Very calculated in his songwriting, he is known for his very minimalist approach and does not include anything that he deems unnecessary. That being said, his songs are anything but sparse or boring. The spacious arrangements of the music affords breathing room and a more dramatic sense of impact from a warped synth or call and response style back-up vocals.
Francis and The Lights
This sort of modernist, subdued flamboyance is echoed in the band’s overall image as well. His trademark all black wardrobe, including a pea coat-like jacket and classic black dress shoes is far from anything Prince would have ever worn during a performance and does not garner the attention that is often sought after from aspiring superstars. But then consider his tall stature accentuated by a dark pompadour and watch him dance onstage or in any of his videos and somehow this seeming incongruence of flashy frontman and philosophical minimalist has found a natural equilibrium.
Francis and The Lights
Despite being notorious for side-stepping questions about his personal life, I do know that he grew up in Berkeley before heading to Wesleyan University where the band eventually met (That was the one thing I asked him to confirm when I had a chance to speak with him after the show). Because of his Bay Area roots and rising popularity with music critics around the country, I expected a packed house at the Great American Music Hall last Wednesday. It was not, but instead the venue was about half of capacity. It seems as though he is still one of the best kept secrets on the West Coast. Fortunately, what the crowd lacked in quantity, it made up in quality. The majority of people there seemed to be full fledged fans, dancing and singing during the entire hour long set. The band didn’t skimp either and I was very impressed by their sound, which in my opinion has improved since I last saw them six months ago. Their stage presence was also impressive and every time Francis broke out his signature dance moves, the crowed roared with delight.
Francis and The Lights
It’s no wonder they have recently played a number of sold out shows in New York, in addition to opening for bands like MGMT. Their newest release, It’ll Be Better, isn’t officially out yet, but you can stream it from the band’s muxtape page. And if you haven’t yet heard their previous EP, A Modern Promise, it is definitely worth a listen while you are there. Keep an eye out for Francis and The Lights to keep turning heads this year. It’s only a matter of time before the cat is out of the bag and their West Coast shows are as difficult to get into as their New York shows.
Francis and The Lights
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[mp3] FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS – A Modern Promise from A Modern Promise (2008)