Pop Break Live: The Faim at The Foundry (touring with Hands Like Houses, Emarosa, Devour the Day, and Arlington)
Words & Photos by Cathy Poulton
Australian band The Faim stopped in at the Foundry in Philadelphia on November 25th. They are touring in support of their debut EP Summer is a Curse, released on September 7th. The six song EP was produced by renowned producer John Feldmann (Blink-182, The Struts, Panic! at The Disco, Good Charlotte) so it’s no surprise this EP sounds “radio ready” and has received many favorable reviews.
This young band has been playing/writing together since high school(2014) and have really evolved since then. They have a big following in Australia and South America and an even bigger one worldwide since the release of their killer debut single “Saints of the Sinners”, released in February. The song was co-written with Fall Out Boys’ Pete Wentz. The Faim announced their first ever international tour last month which starts off in their hometown of Perth on 1/11/19. No doubt the band is thrilled to be in the states right now for their first ever U.S Tour, opening for Hands Like Houses.
The Foundry, a smaller venue tucked inside the larger Fillmore is one of the most intimate venues in the area and the perfect setting for a new band to showcase their music and connect with their fans. When the Faim walked out on stage there was a collective jaw-drop in the audience, followed by lots of smiles. Surely the audience was expecting the normal rock band garb like leather jackets and cool shirts or boots but tonight this was not the case. You can say Christmas came early in Philly when the entire band came out in elf costumes. Yes…you read that right. Elf costumes! The story is The Faim went bowling on Thanksgiving with the band Devour the Day (another opener for the show) and unfortunately there were wagers made. Guess who lost the bet??? The band members were really good sports about it and the audience just ate it up.
This band has been mentioned often in the press lately, some going as far as saying they may be the Breakout Artists of 2018. Did they live up to the hype? They sure did! They were exceptional musicians and their harmonies impressive. There was great chemistry between the band members and even greater chemistry with the audience. Their songs are extremely catchy and the fans sang along on many of them.
Charismatic frontman Josh Raven’s banter with the crowd was fun and playful. Some of the highlights were the uplifting “A Million Stars” and the “hands in the air” type anthems like “Summer is a Curse” and “Saints of the Sinners.” These guys can really rock and gave the audience an incredible performance they won’t soon forget. In return Philly really showed them the love. It was a great way to end the Holiday weekend. You could say it was an early Christmas gift. There is no doubt the fans will be anxiously awaiting the release of the bands first full length album, expected in 2019.
