Final Form at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen

Melding jangling synth, heavy drums and rattling guitars, electro-pop six-piece Final Form feature bold and gutsy sounds packed with zeal. Evoking bands such as Friendly Fires, Bloc Party and Everything Everything, the London sextet create lively pop anthems dotted with club beats and tumbling drops, underpinned with a traditional rock sound.

The band launch into their set with gusto, ricocheting off the floor with each guitar stroke. Lead singer James Stapleton radiates energy, switching between instruments and jumping along to each pumping chorus while fellow vocalist Sophie Musson dives into raunchy dance moves.

Despite the band’s brazen energy, much of the set is simplistic. Thick, plodding chords in unimaginative progressions make up most of the songs, the electronics are often dated and derivative, while too much reliance falls on the many pumping drumbeats coming from tambourines, synths and backing tracks.

Eye 2 Eye begins well with brisk, jaunty guitar yet falls swiftly into uninspiring melodies. Stapleton’s vocal often lets the songs down, his falsetto choruses lacking the same punch as his dancing. Rise and Fall fails, with trite electro sounds and a bland tune, while Half Romance, littered with awkward sound effects, feels fuzzy and disjointed.

Highlights are duet Stones, a mellow tune using intricate synth and shivering harmonies, which finally showcases Musson’s powerful voice, and final song The Art of Battling Giants. Based on a book Stapleton received for Christmas, the latter provides a riotous send off, bursting with 80s beats and plenty of blistering synth.

Final Form are certainly a spectacle, emitting floods of energy bounding about the stage, although their set does feel lumbered at points. The jewels of the night are the women of the group: drummer Stephanie Davis and Musson sparkle throughout, with Musson disappointingly underused.

Alexandra Sims
Photos: Melissa Harper

For further information about Final Form and future events visit here.

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Listen to Half Romance here: