Material: Before L.A. indie rockers the Feal had even played a note at the sold-out Roxy, the noticeably young crowd was screaming at the band’s mere presence as the curtain was raised. This was all the more surprising when considering that they were third on a bill, with headliners Wallows and also Love Ghost above them. When the Feal did kick into the first song, the excitement levels only increased. These young men have got this alt-rock thing sussed; the songs are lush and dreamy, and also epic and climatic. They sit somewhere between The Verve and the Arcade Fire, and as such are incredibly marketable. They didn’t play one song that wouldn’t sit comfortably on a rock radio playlist.
Musicianship: The guys are all superb musicians individually, but the sum of the parts is far greater. They’ve clearly rehearsed for hours upon hours, as they’re a very tight unit. Drummer Nanne hits hard and makes it look effortless, and is complemented by Ramazzini’s hard bass. Buezas is a far better than average guitarist, as is DeVorzon. The frontman is also a wonderful keyboardist, and the songs that see him tickle the ivories are arguably the best in the set. The synth adds an ‘80s vibe reminiscent of Duran Duran and the Human League.
Performance: Feeding off of the energy coming from the crowd, particularly the screaming girls, the Feal performed as if they were headlining at the nearby Palladium. When Ramazzini pulled off his shirt to allow said ladies a view of his sweaty torso, about 90 percent of the room came close to swooning. The guys in the band know how to play to their crowd. Meanwhile, DeVorzon is a wonderfully charismatic frontman—a sort of alt-rock Beat poet with an air that is part-Nick Cave and part- Morrissey, with a bit of Flaming Lips thrown in. He seems mature beyond his years. A natural band leader and performer.
Summary: The Feal is making music of a style that is very popular at present. They have a crowd that adores them, and they already sound like accomplished musicians. The scary thing is, they’re probably going to get a lot better. This is the sort of band that one can imagine performing early in the day at a summer festival and, as a few years pass, we see them work their way up the bill to the top.
The Players: Daniel DeVorzon, vocals, guitar; Gustavo Buezas, guitar; Sal Ramazzini, bass, vocals; Francisco Nanne, drums.
Photo by Brett Callwood
Venue: The Roxy
City: Los Angeles
Contact: [email protected]
Web: thefeal.com
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