When Famous Lovers chose that name, their separate notoriety as Lotharios, Casanovas, and such was not unimpressive, but they were hardly, in the broad sense, famous. However, they guessed, it was only a matter of time.
A multinational crew of four, they form a kind of super-selective United Nations, only better dressed and they get more done. Jordan (drums) and Andrew (keys, vocals, guitar) are childhood pals from Kingston, a town equally famous for its love of classic rock and its hardcore prison. Susil is the Nepalese bass guitar whiz-kid they met at a Dandy Warhols show, and Jonathan Jude (guitar) is an Irishman who frequently gets rowdy.
On stage they are focused like laser beams, stoic and serious. Andrew croons abstract lyrics in a strong tenor, throwing in organ backing to the dark melodies, while Jonathan’s guitar anchors everything, screeching out lonely notes stage left. The songs offer just enough riff-happy rock to keep you dancing, and just enough po-mo dissonance to keep you wondering.
These days, with their freshly-pressed EP and super-sweet Econoline van, Famous Lovers are on the move. Aside from frequent gigs at home in Montreal, they’ve finished four tours of Ontario, one of Eastern Canada and two of the Eastern U.S. They roll like Vikings, sleeping in parks and unlocked college dorms, and leaving a trail of mayhem, broken hearts, and spilled motor oil in their wake. It’s less because they can’t afford hotels, and more because that’s just the way they do things.
With the EP circulating on college radio, and the promise of ever-bigger crowds, the band plans to tour indefinitely, until death or fame, whichever comes first. Or something like that. Right now, in any case, they’re happy to do it for the love.
