Indie Obsessive: Fink at The Independent in San Francisco

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Fink at The Independent in San Francisco – A Concert Review

If there were a Concert Deity, the scenario in the San Francisco Bay Area would have gone something like this during the first ten days of October (which is annually a strong concert month in the Bay Area):

And on the second day of October, the Concert Deity said, “Let there be nostalgia;” and Elton John came to the San Jose Arena. And She saw the positive feelings spread across three generations of attendees and said, “This is good.” And the three generations agreed.

Elton John

On the fifth day, the Concert Deity listened and then said, “Let there be pleasing blends of male and female vocals along with crisp guitar play;” and Bombay Bicycle Club and Milo Greene came to The Warfield in San Francisco. It was good.

Bombay Bicycle Club at The Warfield

The next day, the decision was to bring rock-the-rafters, don’t-stand-beneath-the-chandeliers guitar, so She said, “Let War on Drugs visit The Fillmore.” And it almost unbelievably good.

War on Drugs at The Fillmore

On the tenth day, the Concert Deity gave it careful consideration and concluded that there should be captivating vocals with a creative combination of acoustic and electric guitar. And there was Fink at The Independent in San Francisco. And all agreed, "It was great!”

Fink at The Independent

Fink with an interesting use of old-school desk lamps

The frontman of Fink is Fin Greenall, who provides lead vocals and acoustic guitar. It’s difficult to explain (particularly since we don’t understand) why Greenall’s vocalization can justifiably be described as captivating. His range is good, but not exceptional. His vocal power is more than needed, since power is not a critical requirement of the Fink sound. His voice has purity, but not a purity that sets him apart from other singers. What does set Greenall apart is the smoothness and soothing attractiveness that draws listeners’ attention even when other aspects of a song are being featured. The charasmatic quality of his voice is most apparent in the song "Looking Too Closely."

That’s not to imply that other aspects of the Fink songs don't live up to expectations. At The Independent, the blends of guitars particularly stood out at various times.
According to the Facebook page of Fink, the other members are Guy Whittaker (bass) Tim Thornton (drums and guitar), Chris Nicholls (guitar) and Ruben Hein (piano and vocals).