The Feelies

The Feelies are a tight unit; sticking together for over 30 years will do that to a band. This tightness translates to their live performance in a big way. The group recently reunited in 2008 after a long hiatus that began in 1992, 16 years after they formed in New Jersey. Their music was clean, concise and breezy, as was their live sound, and they have certainly picked up where they left off. The group are still just as crisp sounding as on their 1980 debut “Crazy Rhythms”, however they play these songs with an aura of supreme control, which almost definitely comes from road hardened experience. Music from 2011’s “Here Before” permeates their set in a big way, the jangling guitar melodies on “Nobody Knows” and “Later On” reveal a maturity that they apply to earlier, slightly garage rock influenced tracks such as “Loveless Love” and “Original Love”. It is impressive to see just how far their sound has come, yet just how familiar it is. The group offer up a sweeping live set that is brilliantly captivating. The Feelies really are proof that experience can often be the best weapon in a band’s arsenal, and after hearing them live you would be loathed to disagree.