“London – that’s where we are, right? I guess we’ll see about that,” said Zac Farro, frontman of HalfNoise, to a sold-out crowd at the East London haunt, the MOTH Club, in Hackney Wednesday night. A sea of colored hair and checkered Vans cheered and roared back, energetic anticipation rippling through the crowd.
“Are you guys ready to boogie? Good news – so are we.” Farro led the band immediately into an incredibly lively rendition of “All That Love Is,” off their new EP. Neither Farro nor the crowd missed a beat in their aforementioned pledge to boogieing through the night as Farro grooved around the stage with his tambourine. The MOTH Club framed the scene perfectly with glitter adorning both the stage and ceiling, delivering serious ’80s vibes when alongside HalfNoise’s love for the synth.
The band jumped right into “Leaving,” keeping the energy up before diving into their popular single “She Said” off of their new Flowerss EP which dropped earlier this year. The song had the crowd singing the lyrics back to Farro who continued to groove on stage as the band broke out into a jam over the repeated chorus, “She said.”
If there is one thing HalfNoise shares with Paramore – besides Farro, the drummer and a founding member of Paramore – it is the sheer command Farro and Hayley Williams have over their audiences. Both possess a wildly infectious, tangible energy on stage. Longtime Paramore fans are familiar with Williams’s constant motion on stage, her carefree dancing and outpouring of love throughout the show. Farro, although he has spent his time with Paramore behind the drumkit, possessed the air and stage presence of a frontman who has been at it for years.
“This is my workout for the day,” he told the crowd between breaths in the middle of the set. Much like Williams, Farro refused to stand still the entire show. He simultaneously sang, banged away at the tambourine and played songs on the guitar and drums.
The band followed “She Said” with “In the Summer” during which Farro returned to familiar territory as he played a solo on the drums while jamming with the rest of the band. Even a minor technical difficulty with the synth in the middle of the set did not set back the outrageous energy pounding through the MOTH Club – Farro laughed it off and continued on into “My Girl” without missing a beat.
“My Girl” flowed into “My Mind” and seamlessly slowed down the tempo. Farro introduced the song by telling the crowd, “If you have someone you love, hold them tight,” and the crowd followed suit, friends hugging each other as they sang along to the chorus, “You always change my mind.”
“Let’s groove,” Farro said to the crowd later, easily picking the pace back up for “French Class” which had the crowd singing the lyrics back to Farro over and over again. The band wrapped up the night with their popular single, “Scooby’s in the Back,” which the crowd called out for before the band started playing.
Throughout the night, Farro was entirely in his element as a frontman, donning the role with ease. The show maintained its high energy without ever feeling forced and slowed down when it felt right. Although Farro may possess Williams’s insatiable energy on stage, the similarities end there when it comes to HalfNoise and Paramore. It’s clear that Farro’s HalfNoise has made a unique name for itself, fans eager for more of Farro and his tambourine, churning out groovy, funky tunes that you can’t help but move to.
Setlist:
All That Love Is
Leaving
She Said
Someday
In the Summer
Know the Feeling
Flowerss
Who Could You Be
Sudden Feeling
My Girl
My Mind
French Class
Scooby’s in the Back
Leave a Comment