Future Islands

At this stage in 2014, most of us are probably pretty familiar with what to expect from a Future Islands gig. With the now-notorious Letterman performance, the Baltimore-based indie outfit demonstrated to the world that they're a wildly eccentric, ferociously feral and distinctly individual band – you'll never find a frontman quite like Samuel T. Herring. With his Steve Martin looks, neat'n'tidy crop, all-black tucked-tee get-up, he doesn't look the part of 'rock enigma', but he sure is. Watch him move. His dancing is entrancing; the flurries of whippet-quick jabs, lithe gladiatorial circling, bobs and weaves like a modern-day Ali, operatic gestures, audible chest-punching... the erratic list is endless, and honestly, only seeing Herring perform will do his presence justice.
However, he's also a formidable orator. Completely at ease on stage, his voice will ensnare you, even if he's not singing. If he is singing, there's basically no escape. Future Islands recently dropped Singles, their fourth record, to universal acclaim, and it's almost certain that they'll hit the upper echelons of End Of Year lists come December. Tracks such as “Seasons (Waiting On You)”, “Back In The Tall Grass” and “Spirit” are recent doozies, but older cuts like “Tin Man”, “Balance” and “In The Fall” are astonishing accomplishments too.
There's no band quite like Future Islands: live, they're a visual tour de force.

“We’re Future Islands man, this is just what the fuck we do!” Truer words have never been spoken from the stage at Red Rocks. Sam Herring wore a joker’s grin as he addressed the growing crowd. Every drop of sweat that hit the stage threatened to combust as the man with endless dance moves marked his territory. The synthpop band who appeared on Letterman last year have been riding a rocket-like trajectory ever since, but who could have foreseen that a simple slot on a late night television show would set them on a flight path that would touchdown on the iconic stage in Morrison? Who could have seen that they would arrive on that stage just in time to open for one of their most iconic influences? It might have been an unlikely turn of events that got them there, but as they transformed their ‘opener’ status into something that more resembled a co-headliner, Sam Herring and the Future Islands proved that ‘what the fuck they do’ works just as well on the big stage as it did in places like Rhinoceropolis and Larimer Lounge. - See more at: http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/2015/07/18/morrissey-future-islands-red-rocks-07-16-15/#sthash.brNQ4Tib.dpuf

I have been waiting a few yrs. to see them and finally got to hear them live. They played all the songs that I wanted and brought to life all the new songs. The crowd loved them and sang along to most of the songs. I talked to people sitting beside me and talked about new music, told them about crystal fighters, hot chip,les amazone afrique. We liked many bands from the past and Future Islands reminds me of the 80,s new wave vibe. I loved the vibe and had a great time. I enjoy the new album even more now that I heard them live. I have tickets for the oct/2017 show at massey hall, I will be going this time with a beautiful woman who loves the band too.
The crowd was mixed from young to older. I am 60 and am stillatit.
Next show for me will be the Specials. A week later I see Gary Clark Jr. I am hoping Crystal Fighters come to town and I get to see them..
My seat was broken and the staff found another seat for me to sit in and I ended up talking to people and enjoying a band I have been listening to for yrs.
Great show.

Massey Hall Toronto show starting with a standing ovation as they entered the stage. Future Islands put on an amazing show. Samuel sang his heart out and the audience sang, clapped and cheered through the whole show. I saw them a few months earlier at the Danforth where the audience were really into them..Massey Hall crowd were 10 times louder and standing up through most of the show. Samuel said it took 9 yrs. to get to this show and thanked us for being at the show. I have seen many shows this yr and this show had the best vibe yet.
Toronto fans loves Future Islands.
I had a great time.
I wished the bass player would crack a smile at some point of the show, with all the cheering I did not see him move or smile... like a robot
The keyboardist smiled a few times, the drummer was great and looked like he enjoyed being there as much as Samuel did.
Samuel had the stage and ran with it.
Loved the show !!!

This is the second time I have seen Future Islands, the first being a few years ago at the Laneway Festival in Singapore.
Both times they have delivered the goods, eclipsing the more staid sound that is present on their recorded material.
The singer is a fantastic performer live and gives it his all, as evidenced by the sweat dripping off him halfway through the gig. The rest of the band are not very animated but he more than makes up for the fact.
It got off to a good start with hits from the latest album (Cave)and the earlier singles album straight up. They played some very early songs in the sizable encore.
The singer commented on how very often they had visited Cologne. The audience was large and appreciative. The venue had few female toilets with a massive queue which put me off drinking.If the venue wants to make money off the bar, I suggest they address this issue.
Otherwise a great night out.

A Future Islands gig is something that has to be seen to be believed. Like watching a young Marlon Brando come back from the dead, take loads of drugs and start fronting an 80's synth band. The singer expends incredible energy in a series of increasingly intense and impassioned gesticulations to the audience, the light fixtures, the roof, anything that catches his eye. There’s a lot of chest pummelling with his free arm or wrapping it around his head or his neck, while his lower half goes off in all sorts of other directions, generally followed up with a suggestion that he’s just ripped his own heart out and handed it to you in tribute. The Brando reference makes sense if you look at pictures of Marlon in his early T-shirt wearing days, when he was all “Method” and gesticulation, rather than the later model. A stunning spectacle.

Seeing Future Islands is the best live experience I've ever had!
Their amazing songs are made better by Samuel
Herrings fantastic stage performance, which delivers pure adrenaline and emotion. He truly feels each song he sings on stage, and he doesn't hide any of it, resulting in the occasional growling or some quiet thoughtful moments on stage.
The rest of the band - Gerrit Welmers and William Cashion, as well as their drummer Michael Lowry - stays in the background, delivering fantastic music and beats for letting Herring do his thing.
On top of all the great music and performances, the band had a stunning light show, perfectly fitted for their performance which was a delight to watch.

I would absolutely recommend seeing Future Islands live!

Score: 10/10

This was my fifth Future Islands show in the last six years. They are always excellent and Sam leaves everything on stage. You should definitely see them live if you're a fan of their music. If you're not familiar with their music you will be glad you checked them out and will probably be a fan after one dose.

It's been great over the last few years seeing them gain some momentum and play some larger venues. The Greek as stated by the band was the largest headlining gig they've played. A long way from the first time I saw them at the Echoplex in 2011.

I have wanted to see this band play for a long time. Ironically, I missed them by about a month when I moved from Argentina where I had been living for 9 years when they played in Buenos Aires. Fortunately they came to play in DC last night.
The Antham is a great venue and the show itself was spectacular. I don’t think I’ve ever been so emotionally charged at a live show before.
Definitely watch this band live before you die:)

I've seen a lot of bands over the past years but Future Islands take the cake. They are unbelievable. Every song they have written is a hit not 1 bad song on any album. I've seen them live before and they blew my socks off. The moves and voice on Samuel are truly amazing like no one ever before. I even went back stage with them at Sydney! I know I'll never miss one of their shows again - truly unbelievable a must see....