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| Fish-eye view of The Faint (All photos by Christopher Windle) |
The Faint have been carrying the new wave torch since the late 1990s, a point the band hit home in its hometown with a thriller of a show on Halloween.
The set list touched on nearly every point of the band's career. From the now-vintage new wave of "Worked Up So Sexual" to two of its newest tracks, the futuristic "Skylab1979" and "Young & Realistic."
The two new songs are on The Faint's "Capsule" best-of collection. For fans of new wave bands like Duran Duran, The Faint are a must-listen. The Faint was regularly mentioned in the same breath as Duran when the band first rose to prominence along with other acts from Omaha's Saddle Creek Records.
There were some great bands to come out of that scene. Bright Eyes was the most talked about, and Cursive and Rilo Kiley were even better. But The Faint blew them all away. The Faint was the most innovative of the bunch with a synthesizer, and two of its members play keyboards during the live show.
Another reason for Duranies to have a listen: I once mentioned to members of The Faint that their band was almost as good live as Duran, and they said they took it as a compliment.
After getting an assist from post-punk legends Gang of Four, The Faint started its nonstop dance party. After adding in the Halloween atmosphere, the tour-closing Omaha show was especially rowdy. Many in the crowd, and the band, wore costumes. Guitarist Dapose was Angus Young, and keyboardist Graham Ulicny, below, was Jesus (or Keysus).
The Faint, like Duran, not only sounds great live, but puts on an energetic show. Singer Todd Fink, with his trademark hat, flailed his arms wildly, and Dapose got into some serious head-banging, with his mop of hair swirling about.
The set list built in intensity, from tender opener "Southern Belles in London Sing" (which a Nebraskan knows includes a reference to Omaha's Eppley Airfield) to more aggressive tracks like "Mental Radio" and "Evil Voices." Those two are off the band's last studio album, the superb "Doom Abuse." The band also played the OMD-sounding "Damage Control" from that album.
The Faint took heavily from "Danse Macabre," playing six songs off its best-known album. Highlights were "The Conductor" and "Agenda Suicide." But there were five off follow-up "Wet from Birth," including "Southern Belles," "Desperate Guys," and "I Disappear." And the band didn't forget "Fasciinatiion," playing "The Geeks Were Right."
The Faint brought things to a close with "Glass Danse" off "Danse Macabre," the four members gathering triumphantly at the front of the stage at show's end before an ever-appreciate hometown audience.
