Watchhouse and Fruit Bats

This was the second Mandolin Orange concert I have attended at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. Andrew and Emily are mesmerizing in their performance and have the ability to completely paralyze a crowd. I would recommend this duo to anyone and plan on seeing them at every opportunity.

I’m not sure that ‘nearly men’ is really the appropriate term to apply to Fruit Bats - because, honestly, they never really were all that ‘near’ to any kind of significant success - but suffice to say that I doubt anybody who gave their records a chance could really hold the view that their level of recognition, both critically and commercially, was in any way in genuine correlation to the level of their ability. The band were fronted by Eric Johnson who, for his own part, made a brief foray into the limelight when he joined The Shins for a short while, touring with them for Wincing the Night Away, but his raw talent as a songwriter largely flew under the radar with Fruit Bats. After releasing five genuinely gorgeous records over twelve years, the band called time on their endeavours last year, playing a handful of farewell shows in the process. They packed out intimate rooms, finishing up in Portland, Oregon, and played career-spanning sets that highlighted the strength of their back catalogue, with Johnson’s wistful lyrics never more appropriate. He’ll likely continue to record and tour in his own right, and will be well worth keeping an eye out for; Fruit Bats really were a hidden gem.