5/22/03
nashvillerage.com
byTom Demalon
Fiction Plane
The last time Anglo-American quartet Fiction Plane played Nashville, they arrived with little advance notice and not much promotion. That didn't stop them from packing Blue Sky Court with the curious and fans who were early to discover the band's promising debut, Everything Will Never Be OK.
Now, fresh from an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn days earlier, the band returns for a May 22 show at Exit/In that, if their last visit is any indication, will be one worth keeping your calendar open to attend.
Prior to the release of Everything Will Never Be OK, lead singer/guitarist Joe Sumner (and yes, his dad is a Police-man named Gordon....) expressed the group's eagerness to get on the road. Three months later, they're still in good spirits. ''The crowds have been great,'' Sumner tells The Rage from somewhere in Virginia, between dates with Lifehouse. ''We weren't road-ready, but in the past few weeks we've been playing in front of packed crowds.''
This stint on the road has been the band's most extensive, allowing them a few opportunities to sightsee (Sumner mentions visits to the Smithsonian and Lincoln Memorial), and much more time spent traveling and playing video games. ''We play soccer as much as we can,'' Sumner says, ''but we lose the ball almost every day.''
Sumner professes himself unfazed by plans to tour through most, if not all, of this year. ''I love it and can't imagine what will happen when it ends,'' he says. The band has played dates with numerous other acts by now, and Sumner mentions Something Corporate as a group that has been particularly impressive. ''As a live show, they're awesome and really worth seeing,'' he says.
That same assessment might well be offered in regard to Fiction Plane by anybody who attended their first Music City show. Their debut is a diverse and infectious outing, with tracks such as Listen To My Babe, Cigarette and the instantly memorable Hate showing the band's grunge and ska influences, while the title track is brainy pop. It's not too polished, and, with the band's energetic performance, the songs translate wonderfully in a live setting.
