Promoting their new album, Agent Fresco currently tour the world. Luckily they made another stop in Munich after their performance at Rockavaria earlier this year where they had already enchanted the audience with their music.
Arcempire
Supporting act this evening at Backstage Club was the alternative rock band Arcempire, a local act that some rock fans in the audience already knew. Still, the five young musicians seemed a little restrained in the beginning but delivered a great performance overall. The catchy songs were mainly a bit softer than expected but underpinned by a gentle hardness. During the show, one of the guitar players notably struggled with his guitar which had to be replaced in the end. Vocalist Alex tried to bridge the short break with humor and asked the audience to tell some jokes in the meantime. Unexpectedly, one of the fans actually did as he was told and contributed to the crowd’s amusement. When the guitarist finally came back from the depth of the Club, Arcempire could commence their slightly bumpy but overall good performance.
Agent Fresco
After another short break – this time due to the stage reorganization – the stage was ready for the Icelanders who were welcomed with lots of cheering. This was no surprise for anyone who had had the pleasure of seeing Agent Fresco before. It’s hard to put them in a genre box as they have as many alternative rock influences as they include classic metal elements in their music. At the same time, they can be found in the post rock genre, with lots of progressive elements interspersed. Complementing the musical variety, vocalist Arnór Dan contributes vastly to the band’s success with his incredible voice. No matter if you’re looking for authentic screams, growls or clear vocals – Arnór clearly knows how to use his voice and is able to show various elements with ease. Songs like “Dark Water” are a great example: powerful vocal passages mixed with high-pitched tunes - goosebumps guaranteed. This stylistic variety is clearly one of the reasons why the fans love Agent Fresco so much. Another reason is the band’s authentic and outgoing performance on stage. And with Arnór Dan, Agent Fresco can call a vocalist their own who knows exactly how to express his emotions in countenance and gestures, thereby emphasizing the messages and feelings that are transported in lyrics and music. The cheering this night at Backstage Club confirmed this impression.
One of the highlights of their performance definitely was “See Hell” - a catchy song with great potential that captured everyone in the audience. Next to Solstafir, Agent Fresco is living proof that there are great bands from Iceland out there, waiting and deserved to be heard. It’s always worth seeing them live.
Agent Fresco as well as Arcempire made this summer night a very special one and left us all craving for more. Hopefully, they’ll be back soon.
Set list:
- Anemoi
- He Is Listening
- Howls
- Pyre
- Destrier
- Wait for Me
- A Long Time Listening
- Implosions
- Bemoan
- See Hell
- Angst
- Dark Water
- Eyes of a Cloud Catcher
- The Autumn Red
Text: Conny Pläsken
Translation: Tanja Frank