It seems Resonators can only move up: every hometown show they play is to a crowd a little bigger than the last, this time a sold-out Dome Studio was rammed to the rafters. The atmosphere in the room made it clear that most were long-term fans, eager to hear the band’s third studio album performed. However there were also plenty of newbies. Not only have Resonators cultivated a special relationship with their existing fans, they are also consistently attracting new ones, all the time becoming better musicians through persistence and practice. Now ten years into their career, far from stagnating, they’re at their peak.

The band opened alone on stage with an instrumental, building the already considerable tension before vocalists Faye Houston and Kassia Zermon jumped onstage to tremendous applause, running straight into ‘Right Time’. It’s a bright and loving track from the new album which set a high bar for the rest of the concert. The title track, ‘Imaginary People’, followed, with a sizzling sax solo, as the band settled in and started to let their expertise come through. It was instantly obvious that the band were practised to the extreme and note-perfect.

The hits from the new record came hard and fast, with the forceful and intense ‘Come Through’ up next. It’s one of their more serious songs, but one where Houston’s voice is allowed to shine. She sings it well on the album, but live it’s a different beast entirely: there were a lot of goosebumps around the room as she cut her powerful vocals loose. Zermon, the second vocalist, was not to be outdone, later blasting out the lines of ‘Papa Dadio’ with a force that doesn’t translate to the record but is mesmerising live. Houston pulled the same trick on ‘Trees’, which the band turned into more of a long jam, while she transformed it into a moving and expressive tune, where on the album it lacked some of the power the band were able to inject live.

The band’s attitude, as well as the majority of their songs, was positive and affirming. They frequently paid homage to their fans and stuck to optimistic and heartfelt messages. The positivity peaked when they played ‘Sweet Love Affair’. It was one of very few old songs they played, which at this point has become an anthem for the band. It seemed like even the band themselves couldn’t believe how much the crowd loved it.

It was a tough song to follow, but by now Resonators were most of the way through their set. They played a couple more hard-hitters like ‘Gonna Change’, notable for its drum breakdown, before they quit the stage. The crowd were so enthusiastic, there was really no question of an encore; they played two more and departed for good, having exhausted their crowd.

Resonators really delivered in every way; the musicians were burning hot, obviously still riding the wave from the recording process. Houston and Zermon’s voices were in great form, and both had moments of excellence. The band played a small spattering of the older hits, enough to satisfy the old fans, but showcased the new album as well as, or sometimes even better, than on record.
Ben Noble

Website: resonators.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Resonators
Twitter: twitter.com/resonatorsmusic

Read our review of their album Imaginary People here: http://brightonsfinest.com/html/index.php/12-music/1808-resonators-imaginary-people