Happyness - FUV Live at CMJ - 2014

The wiry and wry Benji Compston and Jonny Allan shared vocal, guitar and bass duties (and surreal, off-the-cuff observations about dead swans and pastoral England) while drummer Ash Cooper might easily make the shortlist as the most animated drummer at CMJ. But it's the trio's intelligent approach, mixing ferocious blasts of adrenalized guitar pop, like "Anything I Do Is All Right" or "It's On You," with more hushed, lo-fi perambulations, like the eight-minute reverie of "Weird Little Birthday Girl," that makes Happyness so utterly distinctive.

While there's no mistaking the band's affection for gritty and pretty '90s rock and American influences like Pavement or Sparklehorse, Happyness opts for a more unique interpretation of the recent past, fusing their fuzzed-out missives and whispered melancholia with dryly witty lyrics and British aplomb. 

Set List:

• You Come To Kill Me
• Great Minds Think Alike, All Brains Taste The Same
• Pumpkin Noir
• Anything I Do Is All Right
• Weird Little Birthday Girl
• It's On You
• Whole New Shape
• Montreal Rock Band Somewhere
• Monkey In The City

[recorded: 10/21/14]

Funding for WFUV's ongoing coverage of live concerts and festivals comes from The Agnes Varis Trust, supporting affordable access to the arts, education and healthcare.