Fever 333
Electric Ballroom // London, England // 18 June 2019
Photos and review by Rachael Dowd
To say that Fever 333 put on a good live show would be a massive understatement. To a sold out Electric Ballroom in the heart of London’s Camden Town, Fever 333 put on one of the most electrifyingly entertaining performances the scene has seen in a long time.
With no support acts for the tour, guests had over an hour between the opening of doors and Fever 333’s set to overcrowd the venue’s bars and get amped up for the highly anticipated set. By the time the clock struck 9:30, the fans were restless, wanting to wait no longer for the band to hit the stage.
“…,” the intro track to Fever 333’s latest album, STRENGTH IN NUMB333RS, flowed out of the speakers as the audience chanted “3-3-3” along with the track, helping to build the anticipation in the room to an unbearable level.
Kicking off the set with “BURN IT,” one of their most popular songs to date, all of the built-up energy the crowd had been suppressing since walking through the doors exploded, causing a sea of chaos and wave of sweat to overcome each person in attendance.
With a 14-song set list, Fever 333 covered a lot of material from their two released albums, including “Made an America” and “ANIMAL,” two of the most highly anticipated performances that night. Exerting more energy onstage than any other frontman in the scene right now, Jason Aalon Butler is a force to be reckoned with, his charisma, passion and incredibly strong vocals making for one of the most captivating performances.
Between the chaotic performances that left both Butler and guitarist Stephen Harrison as blurs running around the stage, Butler used his platform many times throughout the night to address a lot of the issues Fever 333’s music tackles.
During one moment, in particular, he candidly opened up how society makes men, particularly men of color, feel like they cannot express their emotions openly, causing them to build everything up inside. This moment helped to create a safe space in the venue where all of those in the audience, no matter what their background may be, could be themselves, letting out their emotions and feelings as Fever 333 continued on with their set. This safe space was solidified even further when Butler joined the audience at one point, walking, literally, over the sea of people to reach the middle of the room only to be greeted by cheers and hugs from those around him.
Closing out their set with a two-song encore of “We’re Coming In” and “Hunting Season,” the Electric Ballroom has never been sweatier as the crowd let out every last bit of energy they had left, many of them truly never wanting the night to end.
Between the unpredictability and sheer talent Fever 333 brings to each and every one of their performances, they are truly one of the best live acts out there right now. While it is inevitably clear that the three members that make up Fever 333 share both a passion for performing and the subjects for which their music preaches, the community this band has managed to create all over the world is something special that simply cannot be ignored.
Merging together their own style of punk and hip-hop with politically-driven lyrics ripped from headlines around the world, Fever 333 has created an outlet where they, and their followers, can feel both represented and heard, all while refusing to let the stories and faces of those impacted by political and social injustice fade into the background forever.
