Finger Eleven: hot-hot summer show

One of the hottest days of the year and the subterranean chamber that is the Underworld in Camden appear to be at odds for a show but tonight’s debut by the Canadian band Finger Eleven is mercifully not oversubscribed to cause sweat-beads smudging my notes. Still, if I were in the moshpit, I’d be sauna’d that only proves that the band’s already got a small army of fans behind them.

Finger Eleven is a fivesome from Burlington, Ontario, whose third/maiden major label self-titled album is being released in September (it’s been out Stateside since June). The music they present us with is an attempt to open a different rock-page and rightfully insist they are not to be grouped with Nu-Metallurgists. It can be argued their starting point is the heavy genre but it is inspired, infused and broadened beyond a simple category.

For instance, the opening track of ‘Finger Eleven’ album, ‘Other Light’, is quite progtastic but in a way that is equally related to King Crimson, Rush and AFI and still sounds nothing like the templates; this approach is even more evident on ‘Absent Elements’ with its many passages of different paces, tempo changes and guitar solos. For the difference from ‘First Time’, off their previous album, ‘The Greyest Of Blue Skies’ (2000, the debut ‘Tip’ dropped in 1997), that is utterly grungy but more the Alice In Chains’ manner than Nirvana.

Singer Scott Anderson, with his clean-shaven head, delivers lyrics with passion and satisfaction but he is not the visual focal point; the ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ haired/bearded guitarist is headbanging, bending notes, getting off it like so many in front of him! Finger Eleven, with all their years of experience – the new album has been created over 2 years! – find it very surprising to be so warmly received and appeared genuinely chuffed to be recalled for encores. When they proclaim they’ve had “The best time anywhere,” although I know we was good, they’ve earned it!

This band’s dictionary really needs its 11th digit because it incorporates elements of metal, psychedelia, grunge, country, punk, experimental, electronica, progressive, weird-out guitars, semi-acoustic, emocore, epic proportionally arrangements… That’s what the extra finger indicates, an ambition, a goal and not the dick. (Or, so they claim…) But, isn’t sex one way to realising an ambition?

Finger Eleven don’t reinvent but reintroduce diversity into Rock. If you wish, they cover ground as far afield as Tool and, passed U2, pish all over Nickelback. And, h-o-w!