Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
BY CATHERINE STITES
Australian pop-rock group The Faim helped Andy Black kick off The Ghost of North America Tour Sunday night at Ace of Spades in Sacramento. The group is said to be destined for big arenas and they energized the crowd with a passion that was easy to see over their 45 minute set.
With over 20 million total streams globally The Faim has hits that have started to create waves. They got their start with producer John Feldmann who brought them out to record after listening to their early demos. In Los Angeles, several notable co-writers including Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, and Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds of Summer worked with the Faim on their debut album. Beerkens also co-wrote Black’s new song “The Promise” alongside Black, Irwin and John Feldmann. Their most well known song is “Summer is a Curse” which was co-written by Irwin.
Members of the band include vocalist Josh Raven and bassist/keyboardist Stephen Beerkens, along with guitarist Samuel Tye and drummer Linden Marissen, two newer members who were officially added in January. They’ve already shared the stage with PVRIS, Sleeping with Sirens, Hands Like Houses and Lower Than Atlantis.
The band played eleven songs after a few minutes of technical difficulties at the start of their set. Raven told the crowd “We actually are a band and not a stand up comedy group” as he joked around on stage waiting to be able to play. They started off the night with “Saints of the Sinners” and moved to a cut named “My Heart Needs to Breathe” that has the makings for an anthem with the lyrics “Either you’re all in, or all out.” The latter seemed liked the perfect start after the slow start to their set. It opens slowly hooking the audience in with Raven’s scream of the chorus and picks up in speed and intensity as the song continues.
Raven constantly interacted with the crowd throughout the set, asking them questions and whether they have heard their songs before. Energetically mobile, he looped his way throughout the entire venue, before weaving his way back to the stage.
They played the entirety of their Summer is a Curse EP which was released in September 2018. They also included the singles “Fire” released in February of this year, “Saints of the Sinners,” released in February of 2018, and “Midland Line,” released the following month.
The set’s next to last song was their notable “Summer is a Curse” which had the audience singing along. They ended the night with “Amelie,” their newest release. Prior to the show Beerkens described it as his favorite song to play live. The Faim’s 28 show tour continues April 9th in Seattle.
