Here is a sunrise,
Ain’t that enough
Yes.
In Australia for the first time in 12 years.
The iconic, free-wheelin’, upbeat, unassuming rock masterclass that is Teenage Fanclub. Here to radiate good vibrations, here to hit the sweet spot, here to make The Sup’ hum, here to make everything flow, find a craze that fits, and stay there for a while.
She wears denim wherever she goes,
Says she's gonna get some records by The Status Quo
Oh yeah
TFC have an unparalleled lineage. Through sheer weight of finest-quality songs they have remained Contemporary Masters since arriving in 1989. First propelled by ‘grunge’ in the early 90s, (then pushed as ‘alternative’ and later claimed by Britpop), they have been rightly lauded as sublime kings from the start, and have never dipped in quality. Some of their best songs have come in the recent phase of their 25-years-and-counting vigil. They just SHINE ON.
In interviews, Kurt Cobain described them as "the best band in the world".
Liam Gallagher, of labelmates Oasis, called them "the second best band in the world" – behind Oasis, naturally.
Like many of the greatest, they boast three songwriters – Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love – really a super-band, all perfectly complementing each other. When they sing three-part harmony, pop heaven appears.
Live, the band usually alternate among the three singing lead on their own songs, given equal playing time. It’s not about a hit record or two, it’s about their whole collection – ten high calibre albums.
Everything Flows, The Concept, What You Do To Me, Radio, Escher, Norman 3, Sparky’s Dream, Mellow Doubt, Ain’t That Enough, Start Again, I Don’t Want Control Of You, Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From, I Need Direction, It’s All In My Mind, Sometimes I Don’t Need to Believe In Anything, Baby Lee, I’m In Love. For starters.
It’s about harmonies, note-perfect, melodic, power-pop classics, greatness, timeless, crafted fuzz delights. It’s guitar solos. It’s Beach Boys, Byrds, Big Star. It’s Orange Juice. It’s Neil Jung. It’s Alex Chilton playing one of their songs. It’s honest, grounded, cheerful, celebratory, and honed to perfection. Happy to be alive never sounded less corny.
Says she don't do drugs but she does the pill
Teenage Fanclub were born under a good sign.
Hey, there's a horseshoe on my door, big deal.
And say, there's a black cat on the floor, big deal.
The Fannies are a living thing; they haven’t stopped being a band since they started (in Bellshill, Glasgow, Scotland). When people cull their collections, I’ll bet TFC stay in. Their second album, Bandwagonesque, topped Spin magazine's Best of 1991 list in the face of some stiff competition from the likes of Nirvana's Nevermind, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, and R.E.M.'s Out of Time. Latest album, Here, is a cracker.
If you’re already in the Fanclub, this needs no further explanation. If you haven’t listened to them, I invite you to become familiar with the very finest quality, infectious, rockin’ popular music around.
Here is a sunset. Sunday.