Across the Pond: Fat White Family to tear up Echo with high-energy UK punk

There’s something about the British Isles that consistently produces musical greatness; it is inherent to the country, its people and its culture. Popular culture has been defined by bands and artists from the UK; they have consistently created new genres and musical subcultures – from the Beatles’ psychedelic rock in the ’60s all the way through to the explosion of dubstep and drum ‘n’ bass in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Every week, “Across the Pond” will cover a British artist, or an aspect of British music, that has defined modern culture.

Los Angeles has always had a history of being the city of rock ‘n’ roll. Legendary venues like the Viper Room, the Troubadour and The Echo are synonymous with music in the City of Angels, with each one having hosted some of the most famous nights of music in America. Playing at The Echo on Tuesday, Fat White Family has come a long way from its reported beginnings living in squalor above The Queen’s Head pub in Brixton, London. It’s just a shame that the band probably doesn’t care that it’s playing at such respected venues.

Its use of explicit content and controversial subject matter works in creating the band’s punk, couldn’t-care-less attitude, but also serves to bring taboo issues to the forefront of conversation.

Rock ‘n’ roll itself has always been the music of anarchism and chaos, but Fat White Family is a band that sounds like it is actually on the verge of collapse. Its debut album, “Champagne Holocaust,” is a chaotic, raucous mess of rock ‘n’ roll, bound to push listeners to their absolute limit. Singer Lias Saoudi often debases his already raspy, drunken voice into a scream, ending songs such as “Auto Neutron” and “Is It Raining In Your Mouth?” in a wild, frantic mess. His voice is layered on top of jangly guitars and booming drums, for Fat White Family revels in making its listeners feel uncomfortable.

“Auto Neutron,” for example starts off as a slow guitar jam, with Saoudi’s muffled voice acting almost as another instrument. The guitars get louder, and Saoudi’s voice breaks down further; the song culminates with his voice completely disintegrating into a scream.

Despite Fat White Family’s prickly sound, it remains as one of the most captivating bands to come out of the UK in the last few years. Its live performances are captivating, high-energy affairs, usually ending in Saoudi losing layers of clothing. Following the release of “Champagne Holocaust,” the band began a whirlwind tour playing in pubs and clubs across the UK. Following a breakout performance at South by Southwest in Austin earlier in 2014, the band returns to tour America. Its show at The Echo promises to be an adrenaline-charged affair. In a perverse way, it is fascinating to see the band still able to make good, old-fashioned rock music despite the chaos and seemingly haphazard way in which the band members carry themselves.

The members of Fat White Family are British everymen. They share contempt for the British government. They lived together on the top floor of a pub and worked minimum wage jobs prior to forming the band. Their performances are interactive affairs, and Saoudi, more often than not, ends up jumping into the middle of the crowd at some point in their set. They are relatable guys who nonchalantly push the limits of what is socially acceptable, creating uncomfortable yet somehow mesmerizing performances. The band’s essence, and the reason they are so enthralling, rests in their ability to make chaos seem so normal.

As the most outrageous rock n’ roll band to come out of the UK in recent memory, Fat White Family’s stop in Los Angeles seems like a perfect match. A city that has a history of producing great, often eccentric musicians – from Jim Morrison of The Doors to Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers – may just meet its match with the coming of Fat White Family.

— Ishan Rampuria