Given the current support for Fun. through Aussie radio and other media, their set at Splendour in the Grass was one I was super interested in checking out, and let’s face it, that We Are Young song is really catchy. But unfortunately, 2 minutes or so prior to their set, it started to look as though I was one of the few punters who felt that way.
Though the crowd in front of them was probably a tad smaller than they get on home soil, the alternative rock outfit from NYC could hardly contain their excitement to be playing Australian stages, and seemed genuinely saddened to be leaving so soon.
Throughout their hour or so performance, the band meandered between their 2009 release Aim & Ignite and the more recent album Some Nights (2012). The vibe I got from the crowd was that they knew only a handful of tunes, though were more than happy to dance or bop their way through the bulk of ones they had never heard before.
Walking the Dog was one of the ones that everyone seemed to know and love, whereas Barlights may have been a bit too ‘old school Fun.’ for much of the crowd to connect with. At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be) was a great performance and up until We Are Young, appeared to be the crowd favourite. However, once We Are Young started playing, the screams were out of control. Vocalist Nate Ruess needn’t sing a word, the crowd had it covered. Ruess himself looked like a man possessed on the stage, leaving no square foot of surface untouched, even mixing live vocals through an MPC. It was actually really, really cool.
Those who had decided to venture elsewhere during the Fun. set really did miss out on a great performance. Ruess simply oozes sex appeal, and the occasional vocals from a female band member added even more texture to an already vividly layered show.
