The autumn tour season was
opened yesterday by the first night of the First Time Flyers “Jump On Tour
(part1)” – a teasing title, hinting that there may be more than just the three dates
currently announced. For their second
headline tour since forming as a band, and their second full show in Birmingham
they moved to the iconic music venue The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath. Its one of those “imagine who has played here”
places, having played host to some legendary names over the years, and indeed
Poppy Fardell promised from the stage that they would “always remember the
night we played the Hare and Hounds”
Each night of the tour has a
different supporting artist, and for those of us who saw the Birmingham show we
were treated to the deep transatlantic tones of Jake O’Neill. Hailing from Liverpool (“One of the good
parts, I promise”) Jake has been gathering quite some attention, and in the
summer played the Paddock Stage at Buckle and Boots festival – his first ever
festival appearance. Jake’s set was
mostly his own compositions, each with a little explanation of its origins or
what it means to him. These included his
first single after his semi final appearance on TV’s “The Voice”, his latest
single and one written across the Atlantic, with a two second delay. He’s also written a song in 15 minutes whilst
sat on the bedroom floor at home, about wanting to leave his small town! If you get the chance to hear Jake’s voice,
and his songwriting, you really should take it!
When it comes to genre, its hard to classify First Time Flyers. Their pedigree is solidly country, mixed with an absolute gift for performance – including between them the West End and some of the biggest stages you can imagine. The songwriting is a collaborative affair, with experiences from all four thrown into the pot which is the honest storytelling we expect in Country Music, but the delivery at times is pure energetic pop. Described as the “ABBA of UK Country” when you hear the pop vibe and energy and see the synchronised hand dancing from the girls during Heartbreak Handshake I’m tempted to call them the “Steps of UK Country” – in a tongue in cheek and loving way!
What is not in doubt is that all four – Tim Prottey-Jones, Poppy Fardell, Vicki Manser and Jake Morrell – love being on stage, love performing and love being on stage. Their stage presence and their interactions demonstrate that not only is this a band made up of a lot of individual talent but also four very close friends.
The band were joined on stage by KT Parker on Bass and Lewis Jenkins on drums
Their final song was “Happier” – fitting for how much fun they were having – and was sung by the whole crowd with gusto. The encore, after 90 minutes on stage was Say What You Wanna – with the lyrics delivered at machine gun speed, suggesting that, if allowed, they could have gone for another 90 minutes. I guess we’ll have to wait for part 2!
High
energy, high tempo and high volume.
However you classify them, First Time Flyers sure know how to put on a
show!
You can
catch Jump On Tour in London on 13 September and Manchester on 18 September. Details on their Facebook and Instagram,
music on their Spotify!
Silverball Country attended the show as guests of First Time Flyers
