WORDS AND IMAGES: DANIEL GRAY | New wave. Art rock. Synth pop. Rock. Take your pick because it’s been hard to define the music of The Fixx. As much as they have been labeled an “’80s band,” they still make new music, and more than half their album output comes from the ’90s and 2000s. But still, they seem to be products of the Reagan era, and the multitude of videos played on MTV, shot in the style and look of the day, helped freeze them in time for the casual audience. But The Fixx fans know better.
Playing to a packed house at the Belasco in downtown Los Angeles, The Fixx took the stage and opened with “Beautiful Friction,” the title song from their 2012 album. Out of their first four songs, only “Stand or Fall” was from the 1980s. And while, without a doubt, many in the audience were there to hear the hits, which include four top-twenty tunes, The Fixx was out to play a range of songs from their vast repertoire and not pander to any era.
Truthfully, the night was all the better for it. Because the band are better musicians and Cy Curnin is a much deeper lyricist than standard definition music videos can convey. The quintet featured the “classic” lineup of Cy Curnin on lead vocals, Jamie West-Oram on guitar, Rupert Greenall on keyboards, Adam Woods on drums, and Dan K. Brown on bass.
Curnin is tall and lean, and the all-white suit he wore only enhanced a theatrical nature that has a bit of David Bowie and David Byrne to it. He doesn’t just sing songs, he performs them. Curnin is easily the most animated of the band, with Greenall and Woods naturally remaining behind their respective instruments, and the nattily dressed Brown, complete with a top hat, staying anchored in place while playing bass.
West-Oram isn’t the flashiest of guitarists, but he did show his chops by quickly taking center stage and ripping solos on “Driven Out, “” Shaman, and “Deeper and Deeper.” In some ways, the musicians’ stoic nature heightened the realization of just how damn good they were at what they do. Songs that might have sounded just a little thin or techno back in the day had an added oomph and heft to them live.
Twelve songs into the 17-song set was time for The Fixx’s biggest hit, “One Thing Leads to Another.” The Belasco GA audience was already on their feet, but from the moment West-Oram began the chunky riff, the crowd knew it was time to dance and sing. There’s something about that song that has helped it become part of our collective audio DNA. Play it in a grocery store, and you’ll see heads bobbing while shopping carts are pushed down aisles just a little quicker. Curnin wisely let the audience take the chorus, and it was a great way to reenergize the crowd for the final set of tunes.
The hit “Red Skies” ended the first part of the evening and was followed by a strong three-song encore of “Are We Ourselves?,” “Happy Landings,” and “Saved by Zero.” While The Fixx may be known as an “’80s band,” they are no mere nostalgia act. The music may not be timeless, but the older tunes can take an audience back like an audio time machine in the best way possible. And if you take the time to read Cy Curnin’s lyrics from decades ago, it’s easy to see that The Fixx are a group that has always had something to say.
Opening the evening and playing for over an hour was Los Angeles’ own Ozomatli. They are a big band, with seven members filling the stage and multiple members taking lead vocals. Ozomatli is pretty much a genre unto itself with elements of salsa, reggae, hip hop, funk, rap, and jazz mixed like spices to create a secret blend of seasoning that can’t be explained but has to be experienced.
Wil-Dog Abers on bass, Raúl Pacheco on Guitar, Justin Porée on percussion and vocals, Asdrubal Sierra on trumpet, lead vocals, and piano, Ulises Bella on sax, vocals, keyboards, and melodica, along with Mario Calire on drums, performed a strong, energetic 11-song set that was ended by the entire band leaving the stage and going to the middle of the GA floor for their classic drum circle finish.
OZOMATLI
