Meet The Band: Fitness Club Fiasco

We Little Red Umbrella types tend to remember our summers by the bands we were listening to. And there's no doubt that when we look back on the brief, warm months of 2014, we'll remember our summer playlists as being filled with Fitness Club Fiasco. The synthy dance rockers can trace their roots back to England: an earlier version of the group was part of Bristol's indie scene, attracting the attention of the BBC among others. But now they call Toronto home and have been making waves on this side of the Atlantic. Back when the summer was just getting started, they were one of the standout acts of Canadian Music Week. And their most recent single, "Hades", spent some of the sunniest weeks of the year climbing its way onto CBC's R3-30 as one of the top indie songs in the country. So now, as the days grow shorter and autumn arrives, it's probably about time you got to know Fitness Club Fiasco a little better:

VITALS

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Members: Mike Harloff; Jess Underdown; Jess Janz; Matt Henderson; Cam Guthrie

Hometown: Toronto (via Bristol)

FIVE QUESTIONS

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1. How do you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard you before?

A smorgasbord of synthpop and indie flavourings in the stream of Brandon Flowers, MGMT, Coldplay, The National, Chvrches, and Pet Shop Boys. We're a bit like lego, a lot of different things put together to make something new - Thanks to Steve Lamacq of BBC Radio 6 Music for that metaphor!

2. If you could open for one current band that you haven't played with before, who would it be?

Mike: The National
JessJ: Broken Social Scene
JessU: Kate Bush
Matt... Jess J: Matt is busy binge watching Netflix right now, so I'll speak on his behalf and know he
would say Neutral Milk Hotel. Or Bjork.
Cam: Future of Forestry
Mike: Isn't the real answer here Enya?
JessU: MIKE! Why are you always bringing up Enya in interviews!?


3. If you could play one venue you've never played before, what would it be?

Mike: Probably in Durham at the United Media Arts Studio. I don't know if they even host live shows. But it'd be fun to play in my small rural home town on the river.
 
JessJ: All my favorite shows that I've seen in Toronto have been at Massey Hall.


4. Your all-time, all-star supergroup?

Hocus Pocus (Dutch prog-rockers)


5. If you absolutely had to get a face tattoo of album art from one record, which record would you want to have on your face for the rest of your life?

Mike: I'd actually go with the album cover to the project Hendo is a part of, Best Wishes. Their artwork is beautious.

Cam: I'm surprised you didn't say Enya's first album cover - so iconic!

LISTEN

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LINKS

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Website: fcfiasco.tumblr.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fitnessclubfiasco
 
Twitter: twitter.com/fcfiasco

Bandcamp: fitnessclubfiasco.bandcamp.com

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Meet The Band is a regular feature in which we introduce you to bands we like.

 

Posted by Adam Bunch, the Editor-in-Chief of the Little Red Umbrella and the creator of the Toronto Dreams Project. You can read his posts here, follow him on Twitter here, or email him at adam@littleredumbrella.com.