Although Fez is on hiatus from live performance you still explore the back catalogue of recordings and videos.
Fez is an alternative rock band with a history spanning four decades. They write genre-busting songs with politically aware lyrics and perform live with an improvisational dynamism that makes every gig unique. See upcoming gigs here
“Their brand of funky, jazzy, bluesy, psychedelic alternative rock comes with politically aware lyrics and impressive musicianship – intelligent music you can boogie to.” Recycle Radio
“Fez bring a fresh sound to a classic genre. Instrumental virtuosity and lyrical depth fuse unconventionally with engaging melodies.” The Laboratory Project
“… excellent arrangements and some incredible but somehow controlled musicality… There’s a whiff of psychedelia too, a hint of Hendrix here and there, some space rock….great music.” Richard Seymour, Classic Rock Society Magazine
Napoleon
Recorded in 2020, the album Napoleon deals with themes of authoritarianism and resistance. The first single from the album was Little By Little and was released during the coronavirus lockdown. The video for the song consequently has a spirit of punk DIY aesthetic about it, whilst also providing a wry visual commentary on the strange times in which it was produced. The pandemic led to a delayed release date: the band now hopes to release the album at the end of 2021.
After Sometime
This instrumental was the second track release from the 2020 Fez album Napoleon, the After Sometime video was created by the artist Anne Fox
Planet Stupid
The 2004 album Planet Stupid was recorded in the run up to the Iraq War and that context can be heard, both musically and lyrically throughout the album. The recording was also a nod to a form that was in retreat: the album format. At a time when individual track downloads were becoming the norm, Planet Stupid represented a resistance to that tendency. The tracks flow and segue one into another forming a coherent whole, In that way the album is arguably a ‘concept album’, not in the sense of having a linear narrative structure, but perhaps in the sense of being intended to be read as a single piece.
From the Archives
youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfxEp4LSXsI&w=560&h=315%5D
Fez live at TheFactory Manchester
Don’t stay away too long – live in the studio
Fez performing ‘Superheroes’ from their 2003 album Planet Stupid[
Fez perform their song And That’s the News and then segue into a version of the Prince classic Little Red Corvette
Reviews of Planet Stupid
“… excellent arrangements and some incredible but somehow controlled musicality. Without losing the touch of pop sensibility, the album has well written tunes that leave room for improvisation, … there’s a nod here and there to the history of prog without being overtly copyist. There’s a whiff of psychedelia too, a hint of Hendrix here and there, some space rock….great music.”
Richard Seymour, Classic Rock Society Magazine
“…their music is experimental, mixing free improvisation with complex arrangements, yet still has power, grandeur and memorable songs… the Fez modus operandi, an approach to working that almost amounts to a manifesto : a collaborative approach to making music – all band members contributing to the creative process : improvisation at the heart of the music – no song performed exactly the same way twice – no arrangement ever final.
This approach to music making has led to an album that captures the immediacy and intensity of Fez’s live performances and allowed experimental processes to develop in the studio. The band may refuse the ‘neo – prog’ label that has been applied to it – but then again, refusing to accept labels is a very ‘prog’ thing to do.”
Sandman 2004
The Laboratory Project 2010
Les Gillon 