Fun Lovin’ Criminals at the Forum

20 years after their debut album Come Find Yourself was released and Fun Lovin’ Criminals were unleashed upon the world, they are back at The Forum for the LP’s anniversary. Despite having the dubious honour of being another irreverent US alternative act, and not nearly the biggest or most successful in that genre, when Fun Lovin’ Criminals take to the stage the almost tribal audience buzz is something that only a band that is still so hugely popular and relevant could generate.

They are clearly proud of their New York heritage, and seem rooted in that culture. “Wassup?” Huey Morgan says as they begin their set, making the commitment to do Come Find Yourself from start to finish. As the lush guitar and tight rhymes kick in, the crowd becomes enthusiastic to a point that it even seems to surprise Morgan. Naturally, Scooby Snacks attracts the most applause: it’s hard not to get stuck into, and the chorus doesn’t feel like it has aged a day.

The band bask in the soul vibe of 70s NYC at its peak, when it became the command centre of the world’s music; King of New York and their cover of John Barry and Hal David’s All the Time in the World borrow from that sound. But Fun Lovin’ Criminals take the classics and imbue them with new energy, spitting lyrics about urban restlessness and life on the American dole.

Morgan is keen to discuss how things have changed over the last two decades, whilst concluding that, as always, things are ultimately very much the same. But therein lies the band’s power: Fun Lovin’ Criminals are still as relevant as they were all those years ago, and their caustic genius remains intact.

As the band launch into an encore, Loco being one of the stand-out performances, it seems like they really might stay all night – and the audience don’t mind a bit. By the time they leave the stage (jigging to Dirty Dancing’s Time of My Life) there is not just a sense of nostalgia, but also of a job well done. 20 years to the day, as Morgan says, “things change”. Fun Lovin’ Criminals, however, are destined to remain within the realms of greatness.

 

Stuart McMillan
Photos: Paul Gambin

For further information about Fun Lovin’ Criminals and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Scooby Snacks here: