November saw New York’s very own Fcukers take to the stage at Gorilla. The intimate venue under the arches seemed to be the perfect fit for the rising electronic duo, with ridged metal ceilings and brick walls evoking the underground club scene, a clear site of musical inspiration for the band. Adidas jackets, sunglasses, and baggy jeans served as the crowd’s uniform, inspired much by Fcukers themselves. Two-stepping onto the stage, lead singer Shanny Wise sports black shades, baggy trousers, and effortless swagger. Multi-instrumentalist and other half of the duo, Jackson Walker-Lewis follows behind, picking up a bass guitar before casually assuming his position at the keys.
2024’s ‘Homie Don’t Shake’ opens the set, the buzzing bassline vibrating through the venue and the crowd. Instant dancing ensues, with pink strobes filling the tunnel of Gorilla to transform the crowd into one raving mass. The duo are joined by a DJ and a drummer, who sports a kit embellished with cowbells and sample pads to effortlessly elevate their funky, electronic tones.
Three unreleased songs follow, Wise jumping around the stage and the crowd imitating; even unknown tracks are infectious amongst the audience, unable to resist dancing. Following the taste of what Fcukers have in store in the future, Lewis leaps into the bassline for fan favourite ‘I Don’t Wanna’. The slow, seductive number sees the crowd lost in the soundwaves and strobe lights, Wise’s silky voice echoing over both.
‘Mothers’, the duo’s first single, is performed shortly after, filling the tunnel of Gorilla with its danceable ambience. The background for tonight’s set consists of a screen that fills the back of the stage. Surreal video clips, the most memorable being a factory of chicks and the words “LONELY?’” followed by a phone number. Blue and white flashing lights occupy the screen for the band’s debut single, transforming the quartet into drumming, dancing, bass playing silhouettes.
The group’s most recent single ‘I Like It Like That’ follows, seeing the crowd erupt into frenzied dance. The recent single seems to galvanise the room, with its upbeat but still classically Fcukers sound electrifying the audience. For the first time all night, Lewis joins Wise at the front of the stage, occasionally chiming in with backing vocals, but primarily jumping on stage alongside a two-stepping Wise.
The liquid tones of ‘UMPA’ fill the room next, with the drums taking a percussive turn in one of the bands more lowkey numbers. Two more unreleased tracks follow, before the group dive into ‘Tommy’. The screen projects a train simulator, speeding up for the crescendo in the final chorus. Wise and Lewis take to the front of the stage, kneeling down before the beat drop. What typically serves as a gimmick only elevates the intimate club vibe that has been curated for the night, the lack of barrier dividing the crown and the stage enhancing this more.
The penultimate track of the set consists of the dizzying breakbeats of ‘Play Me’. The crowd fully intoxicated by Fcukers hypnotic discography, condensation reflects from the ridged arches of the ceiling, discernible only by the flashing lights of pink and orange that burst with fierce intensity throughout. A mere 44 minutes later and the set descends into the final song of the evening, the irresistibly catchy anthem ‘Bon Bon’.
The pinnacle of the set sees the crowd flourish in their two steps and shuffling, the glow of the lights and screen imitated in the glow of the crowd, Wise and Lewis singing and jumping at the front of the stage in a moment of synchronic euphoria between the band and the crowd. The short set offered a taste of what the electric duo have to offer next, and by the sounds of it, they’ve got this in the bag(gy$$).
