GIG REVIEW: Fink at Rough Trade East

London Art Scene from The Art Stop

Cool East London store Rough Trade East came alive (well, more than usual) on Tuesday evening, when singer-songwriter Fink (real name Fin Greenall), took to the stage to perform tracks from his latest album, Perfect Darkness.

Welcoming the crowd and telling them this was the "best store gig he'd ever played", Fink (originally from St Ives, now based in Brighton), immediately charmed his audience and wasted no time in launching straight into into mellow This Is The Thing - a solid opener that drew those browsing the shelves right into the crowd.

And what an audience it was - young, trendy twenty-somethings were there taking in Fin's incredibly velvety vocals but so were the mums and dads, who had brought along their families - "You never see families at gigs," the Fink fan next to me observed. "It makes a nice change". It did make a pleasant change, but I did feel very sorry for the poor dad that had to leave in the middle of the bluesy Berling Sunrise because his over-demanding little girl wouldn't stop crying. Oh well, you can't win them all.

Trouble Is What You're In - a Fink classic from his Distance In Time album got the biggest cheer of the evening, with fans old and new nodding their approval as the familiar intro kicked off. And it was clear that, although Fink isn't yet a household name, he's certainly ruffled quite a feathers already - and dedicated followers had sought him out for this gig. A good effort.

Finally the show came to an end with Wheels - and even once the lights had come on and Fin had walked away, there was clear hope for an encore, as everyone milled about waiting for him to come back on stage.

Sadly it wasn't to be this time - and we'll have to wait for the next one.

And now, a bit about Fin and diverse workings since his full-time DJ days: He's written for the likes of John Legend, collaborated with Professor Green and has produced for Amy Winehouse. "It was actually working with a young artist straight out of school called Amy Winehouse that inspired me to go, “wow, songs are great", he explained.
Well, thank goodness Wino inspired him, eh? You can find out more about Fink here: http://www.myspace.com/finkmusic

Posted Date
Jun 30, 2011 in London Art Scene from The Art Stop by The Art Stop