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Fratellis Take a ‘Stand’ at Spin’s Ruby Concert Series

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Bedecked in brown boots, black jeans, and a black and white Beatles Revolver T-shirt, Jon Fratelli emerged from the shadows of the Key Club stage Sunday night (June 15) to open the second season of the Ruby concert series, a music showcase presented by Spin in partnership with adidas Originals and Citi Private Pass.

Competing chants shot from different pockets of the restless sold-out room, and a smattering of kids sporting Fratellis T’s collected toward the front of the stage, their shirts hastily pulled over dresses and collared shirts, friends standing together in uniform looking like sidelined members of team Fratelli. In fact, there was something of the soccer hooligan spirit in the air, red-cheeked footballer boys struck up the sing-a-long ba da ba ba da chorus from the band’s first hit “Flathead,” long before the band played it as an encore.

The Glaswegian trio of fake brothers carefully constructed their set to dangle new, less familiar songs from new set Here We Stand in between three-song bursts of favorites from their debut Costello Music, making sure little time went by sans group sing-along. When Jon struck up the reggae-like strum that opens “Henrietta,” his clipped “Oh!” at the microphone was met with unified crowd participation, filling the room with the kind of noise that follows a goal being scored.

The mild-mannered bassist Barry Fratelli kept the low-end of things in perfect order, slowly roaming in circles in bright green Adidas that belie his otherwise quiet presence. Drummer Mince Fratelli’s gray tank top began to show sweat rings that quickly expanded to claim the entire shirt, leaving it one evenly darkened hue. He wore a single black glove on his left hand and his brief drum solo to close out “Got Ma Nuts From A Hippy” elated the bouncing boys and girls.

A rousing “Baby Fratelli” closed out the set, its chorus of “It’s all right!” frenzying the room one last time. The song ended, Jon clamored over his pedals and reached out over his monitor to shake hands with a girl, leaving her dizzied with the realization he’s just handed her his guitar pick. The band left, the lights came up, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” played the crowd to the exits with something else impossible not to sing along with.

A gray-haired man had his hand on the shoulder of what is presumably his son. The youngster proudly wore his Fratellis T-shirt, so new you can see the creases in it and smell the unlaundered ink from two feet away. It’s Father’s Day. The boy was beaming and the old man said to him, “That was a great show. And I haven’t been to a show in 20 years.” Two pats on his son’s shoulder and they were out the door.

More photos from this show >>>

Presented by adidas Originals:

The Fratellis / Photo by Rob Shanahan

The Fratellis / Photo by Rob Shanahan

The Fratellis / Photo by Rob Shanahan

The Fratellis / Photo by Rob Shanahan

Presented by adidas Originals: