by Matt Pinder

Fenech Soler @ Lumia Live, Leeds, 02/05/2013

'Fenech Soler performed on a stage that is more commonly the home of wrestling matches'

 

Fenech Soler @ Lumia Live, Leeds, 02/05/2013

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Nokia are bringing their forward-thinking mentality and creativity to celebrate new music whilst thinking outside of that metaphorical box. Having recently launched the new Nokia music streaming app (with 22 million tracks to listen to and hundreds of playlists to inspire its listeners) the brand brought their progressive visions to live music too, working alongside influencial creatives La Blogotheque discovering fresh under-the-radar artists and giving them the opportunities to perform infront of new audiences in eclectic venues.

The Lumia Live Sessions kicked off last month with a spectacular event in Bristol where the eloquent Ghostpoet performed in a cemetery. The Finnish brand put their thinking caps on to discover an equally off-the-wall venue to host the Leeds leg of the sessions.

Hidden away on the outskirts of the city centre is Leeds Cage, a venue usually used for martial arts. The dingy building saw its gym equipment cast aside for an evening of live music where local band Department M and Fenech Soler performed on a stage that is more commonly the home of wrestling matches.

It was one of those places that blows your mind as soon as you enter. Punch bags draped from the ceiling, rowing machines are roped off as 150 people experienced intense live music in the surrealist of environments.

The long-awaited return of electro pop outfit Fenech Soler is over. It's been a traumatic few years for the quartet since being touted as the next big thing in 2010. Things were looking good for the band with a highly acclaimed debut and a handful of catchy singles until frontman Ben was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Luckily it was discovered early on and he was in the clear within two months. Having regrouped the band returned to stage for the Lumia Live sessions with set featuring material from their debut as well as healthy amount of new tunes, expected to feature on the forthcoming follow up.

There was an energetic vibe on stage which transferred into the crowd who shook their hips to the super slick synth heavy pop with high octane vocals. It's lazy to compare them to the likes of Friendly Fires and Delphic but there's definitely similar influences in there well polished set. It was the first time many of the songs had been played live but you couldn't tell, there wasn't any slip ups or nerves shown.

It was a unique experience seeing a band play in such bizarre surroundings, Nokia Music are on the right track when it comes to pull something exciting out of the bag.

Keep your eyes peeled for next months Lumia Live Sessions in Liverpool. More details can be found here.

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