Leather Pants Not Recommended: The Faim

On an average day, I would not have ended up in the pit watching a band like The Faim. In my attempt to be more comfortable alone, though, I went for it. I enjoy heavier music every once in a while, so this seemed like a promising adventure.

Heading into the venue for the first time (and in a relatively new town), I asked the line what they thought of the band. Reviews were good, which left me willing to forgive the homeless woman that screamed at me on my way to the show.

I caught The Faim on their tour with Stand Atlantic and supporting bands Point North and WSTR. I was joined by around 70 other people in a smaller room with standard lighting (the kind that are permanently fixed to the room and don’t necessarily add too much to the show) – my first impression wasn’t great. I had forgotten my earplugs, too, so my ability to hear was quickly diminishing by the minute.

All was forgiven and forgotten when The Faim took the stage. The band began their set from side-stage and I felt as if the room and crowd had grown. Singer Josh Raven made a joke that nobody in the room knew who they were, that anyone claiming to know was merely pretending. That wasn’t the case, though. This crowd knew the words to almost every song and couldn’t stand still.

Before the second song began, Raven was drenched in sweat. Call me crazy, but a sweaty artist has always been a personal indicator of a good show.

Fans that were lined up early for the show told me that The Faim performed in a way than their album could never show. I am happy to write that those words couldn’t be more true. The Faim are a great group to queue up on Spotify, sure, but that is no replacement to seeing them live.

It could have been just my naked ears, but I was convinced that the band was going to bring the building down. They got the crowd to party with them during the entire set. At the height, Raven jumped into the crowd. He went so far as to recruit a few friends to join in a light mosh before heading back up on stage.

Drenched in sweat (see the photos – I’m not joking), he reflected on the night. “Tonight was a bad night to wear leather pants,” he joked. I wasn’t going to argue with him. Even though I wasn’t very connected to the band before I came to the show, I too had worked up a sweat from jamming along.

As the show closed, Raven uttered one more sentence before leaving the stage. “Take care of each other,” he said.

As for my reflection? Yes, I’m glad I went. And yes, I recommend you see The Faim, too.
If you’re near the EU, you have a shot coming up, so take a peek at their tour dates ASAP.

Disclosure: downinthepit was provided with a ticket to this show but was not paid for this review.