By Andrew Bansal
July 1st 2016, The Troubadour, West Hollywood CA: Formed in June 2015, Furiosa is ex Legal Tender frontman Jonah Nimoy’s brainchild and solo project, and following a few select live appearances with a backing band, Nimoy released the debut Furiosa EP ‘Outta Fox To Give’, on which he has written and recorded all parts of the music, almost a year to the day of the band’s inception. Last Friday July 1st 2016 at the Troubadour, Furiosa played a headline show to a sizable audience, in an attempt to showcase its worth as one of LA’s newest and most notable musical entities.
Starting their set promptly at 11 PM, Furiosa commanded the inner confines of the Troubadour with effortless aplomb, and it was quite contrasting witnessing their musicianship on this relatively huge stage in comparison to Metal Assault’s most recent Furiosa experience, at the Silverlake Lounge. One of the most unique venues in the Los Angeles area wherein the size of the stage is almost as big as that of the general admission standing area, the Troubadour gives attendees the vibe of a big show in a small room, and this setting seemed almost tailormade for Furiosa, as all four musicians on stage reveled in the spotlight.
The most interesting aspect of Furiosa’s music is its eclectic nature which compels the audience to draw differing conclusions each time. For reasons perhaps inexplicable, the Silverlake Lounge set carried more of a rock n’ roll feel, but this one at the Troubadour emitted post-punk/art rock undertones, much in the vein of the likes of Refused but with a more melodic twist. That said, a live Furiosa set has its mellow as well as heavy moments, as was the case here as well. Besides the stellar musicianship, this performance was not short on entertainment and comedic value, as at one point Nimoy donned a Darth Vader helmet and threw out band t-shirts into the crowd, and at another moment early on in the set he yelled an expletive and realized that his music students, who looked like they’re all probably in their early teens, were standing in the front row. “I’m so sorry, guys”, he said, and switched his stage banter to a clean, all-ages version. The turnout was excellent and the room was nearly packed, as Furiosa proved to be well worth their 11 PM slot and then some.
Metal Assault has endlessly supported and written about local LA rock and metal bands, but sadly nearly all of them faded away due to internal strife or lack of motivation. One hopes that Furiosa goes on to serve as an exception to the trend, and that the (well-deserved) praise heaped on them wouldn’t go down in vain. Furiosa is one of the most fascinating bands going around Los Angeles at this moment, and if you aren’t privy to their music, you should be.
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