The Fratellis @ Mercury Lounge, 3/23/07

Lead singer John Lawler took the stage for the encore and, much to everyone's surprise, did an acoustic performance of "New York, New York." Sinatra with a Glaswegian accent...a classic moment.

I realized last night why I love to come out and see these UK buzz bands perform in small clubs in NYC. When the majority of the crowd hails from the UK, these shows provide a completely different live experience. Watching swarms of people singing and dancing along with every song; it's a rare opportunity to find such an enthusiastic crowd at a venue this size, in a city notorious for arms-folded show-me-what-you-got audiences.

The Fratellis had a successful debut last week, selling close to 15,000 units and a top 50 spot on the Billboard 200 due in large part to their iTunes commercial. For those who haven't yet heard anything beyond "Flathead," this is far from a one hit wonder band. What impressed me most - and what I think separates the Fratellis from their UK upstart counterparts - was their incredibly tight live performance. Despite their juvenile lyrics, The Fratellis came across as seasoned musicians, all highly skilled at their craft.

MP3: The Fratellis - "3 Skinny Girls" (B-side to Henrietta)

UPDATE: The Music Slut has a photo of the setlist (minus "New York, New York"). The last song was a cover of the Who's "The Seeker." You got to love the fact that these dudes have a great relationship with Pete Townshend. They performed the song together at SXSW.

Ultra8201 @ SxSW

Ultra8201, the only blogger on the blogroll that I have ever met, is getting down at SxSW right now. It's just pictures right now - and he's got shots of everyone from The Fratellis to Albert Hammond, Jr. to Saul Williams (!) to Ghostland Observatory - but I am sure there will be more as the weekend unfolds. Get some, Ultra8201. Get some.

The Fratellis - TV debut and Pitchfork

The Fratellis will get a nice introduction to the US with the new iPod/iTunes ad featuring "Flathead." The inclusion of this song is somewhat surprising since they have yet to release anything in the States. Although their debut album Costello Music has been out in the UK for 5 months, our first taste is the Flathead EP out on 1/23 (and only 4 bucks at Amazon). If there is a release date for the full-length, I haven't seen it yet. Pitchfork has taken notice with their review of the single this morning and not surprisingly, given it two stars. I've been listening to the album for some time now (we've talked about these guys before) and while it's possible that people are just burned out from the NME onslaught of "up-and-coming bands" - Pitchfork has been in backlash mode for months now - unlike The View, I'm still supporting them. This album deserves a look whenever it gets a proper release. (UPDATE: the album will be out on March 13th)

MP3: The Fratellis - "Flathead"

Much better version on Apple's site here.