Having witnessed first hand Parker Fans in white tank-tops (shirtless soon after that) leaping up and down to a crowd of 50 at an attic venue in Brighton – with all the peevish shenanigans of school boys ‘messin’ about’ in back of the classroom – it was clear that I was witnessing not just a gig, but something altogether sillier than that.
Amsterdam’s riposte to the prevailing wave of hedonistic indie-pop sleaze, the latest single from Parker Fans (the trio co-founded by ex-Personal Trainer drummer Kick) delivers some of the greatest MIDI pan flutes since The Legend of Zelda soundtracks for the Nintendo 64. Punched with hip hop breaks more Robbie Williams than Wu-Tang Clan, and enough charm to power a return ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, the insanely catchy ‘Bark!’ offers the kind of music Napoleon Dynamite might have made if he made it out of the Idaho sticks and hit the party scene: awkward, nerdy, funny, but with serious chops, serious grooves, and sweet sweet dance moves.
Photo by Wies Zijlema
The new issue of So Young is out now. Buy in print here. Read the digital edition below. Subscribe to receive every issue here.