More about: Ross from Friends

It’s rare to have a room full of people shuffling to infectious garage rhythms and airy breaks, while simultaneously singing along to soul melodies as loud as they can. This is exactly what you experience when you step foot in Ross from Friends’ live show at Electric Brixton though, and it’s practically impossible to resist the urge to do both. 

Since signing to record label Brainfeeder in 2018, Ross from Friends has become sort of a big deal. The Essex-born producer and DJ (real name Felix Weatherall) makes electronic music that always has just enough going on to pull the listener back in any time they feel like relegating it to the background. To make his live shows even more interesting both sonically and visually, Weatherall tours with session players Jed Hampson (guitar/drum machine) and John Dunk (saxophone/synthesiser) and the trio appear on stage as an unorthodox three-piece band. 

The grand opening sax chord played by Dunk makes clear that the music is definitely not going to be relegated to the background in any way. Instead, it will be at the forefront of the audience’s attention for the next two hours. Garage two-stepper 'Life in a Mind' gets the audience vigorously moving, trying their best to keep in time with the 140+ bpm whilst channelling their inner Patti LaBelle to repeat the chirpy vocal refrain.

Throughout the night it becomes clear that the trio on stage are going to dictate the energy in the room. Weatherall’s mixer and decks act as a magic wand that can inject energy and euphoria into the bodies of those in the audience, and the chemistry between the three is a joy to observe as they twist and bop from track-to-track. This is of course reciprocated by a mass of South London twenty-somethings who refuse to let the performers out-do them and go crazy after every next song is teasingly mixed in.

There are a few heavier parts in the night with Weatherall incorporating higher tempos and faster breaks. The crowd react pleasantly to these parts but it’s clear that the preference is for the whirling synths and innovative instrumentation found in tracks such as 'Revellers' and 'Romeo, Romeo'. Fan-favourite 'Talk to Me You’ll Understand' featured its vintage texturing which was aided by the impressive sound system, seductively inviting the people of Brixton to sing along to the chorus that’s been playing over and over in their head since its release back in 2017.

The stand-out moment of the night comes towards the end with a performance of 'Love Divide' that incorporates added elements from Dunk and Hampson. This is a song that already has a futuristic and dystopian feel to it, and the addition of Dunk’s saxophone solo goes down well with the audience to create a jazz-tinged fusion of house and techno.

Weatherall has gotten weirder — and better — since his early releases at the beginning of his career. This show, although billed as part of the tour for his new album Tread, acted as an enjoyable reflection of how his music has progressed over the years, featuring songs from various EPs and albums. As the music continues to evolve, let’s hope that Ross, Joey and Chandler…I mean Weatherall, Dunk and Hampson, continue to put on shows like this.

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More about: Ross from Friends