Last night Rescue Rooms was transported to a chaotic whirlwind of warped electro-metal as Fat Dog proved their worth as one of the best live acts on the gig circuit today.
Formed in south London during lockdown, Fat Dog became known for their wild and hypnotic live performances well before the release of their first single King of the Slugs in 2023. Since then, the five piece have released four more singles this year, and their debut album WOOF, before being cast as one of BBC 6 Music's Artist of the Year. Just back from touring the USA and Canada, their Nottingham gig at Rescue Rooms was the fifth date on their mostly sold out UK tour.
My first introduction was on the opening night of Boomtown Festival. On a friend’s recommendation I’d listened to WOOF a couple of times and the heavy, hypnotic 80s sound convinced me their live show would absolutely be a good one - if you are at a festival and need to transition from regular-person-of-the-world to feral-field-dancer, there are few better bands than Fat Dog to welcome you into a weekend of wild abandon.
The evening opened with TRUTHPASTE, a genre-blending five piece (or six if you count the drum machine) from Manchester, featuring a violinist, saxophone, guitar, bass, keyboard and vocals. Their sound is tricky to encapsulate, bringing elements of folk, jazz and pop with a quirky twist. I could only find one of their tracks online, but I feel like they are the kind of band that you might randomly discover in a tea tent at a festival.
The room explodes into a stomping techno-goth swing. Violently red strobes paint lines above the crowd. It feels like the end of the world is about to begin.
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