Now, I must admit that generally, I don’t like women singing in rock bands. I just think that they don’t have what it takes to produce the sound needed to make rock sound like rock. Obviously there are a couple of exceptions; Joan Jett and Pat Benatar are the most obvious that come to mind, but generally women just can’t cut it in my book.
However, I had heard very good things from friends that I generally thought had good taste in music about 4Bitten, a Greek rock band fronted by a female, and they convinced me to go to a gig to see what I thought. So, not expecting much, I went to Moho Live with an open mind about the gig that night.
I must admit Fofi, their lead singer, is just incredible. The band are a bluesy classic rock band, and Fofi has the most versatile of voices which seems to adapt perfectly to every song they performed; whether it was a song from their album, No More Sins, or an absolutely rocking cover of ‘Heartbreaker’. Every song they performed was just so different they were constantly captivating the audience and it was impossible not to be drawn in. Fofi’s voice is not your general ‘female singing voice’, and has a really dirty rock feel to it when the occasion calls, but when she sang one of their more ‘ballad style’ tracks it transformed into a voice that brought tears to the eyes.
The band as a whole were tight-knit and full of enthusiasm, and the playing by all of them was truly inspiring. They played brilliantly as a whole and lit up the stage with their style, and their skilled playing made the songs they performed take on a whole new life listening to them live.
I got an interview with them while they were over here, and this is what was said:
Felicity: So you guys are in the UK at the moment, how’s the tour been going? You’ve toured with some great bands already!
Fofi: It’s been amazing! We did three dates with Michael Schenker and that was the most amazing experience of our careers so far I must admit! We did a date with Dave Evans, the original lead singer of AC/DC and that was fun, and we’ve done two dates with Dan Reed, who is a friend of ours now! Last year we did our first year with Dan which was acoustic, and then he came to Greece and we did a date with him there and how we’re back here with him! So yeah, we’re having a great time on tour!
Felicity: Brilliant, and you’ve got your new album out as well which is just wonderful; what was the inspiration behind that?
Fofi: Well, it came out in April and we’ve been touring ever since to promote it. The CD was a long time in the making in that we’ve been a band for 8 years now, and even though we started as a cover band we have been writing our own stuff as well, and the summer of 2008 when we got in to record it seemed like the timing was right to put out a CD of raw material. We chose was what was best and it has been inspired by everything we’ve been doing since we started.
Felicity: So what’s the rock scene in Greece like? Is there much call for your kind of music?
Fofi: We have a lot of good bands and a lot of good musicians, unfortunately though we have very traditional music in Greece, Greek music, and there is a hunger and a thirst for rock music but it isn’t the type of music you can do as a career. There of lots of cover bands, but everybody either has a day job or works for other musicians that have nothing to do with rock music.
Felicity: Can you see the rock scene picking up at all in the next few years and there being more call for this sort of music?
Fofi: There is a call but unfortunately it is all for covers; they’re not used to a Greek band playing their own music. They want to hear the bands they love; AC/DC Led Zep etc and if you’re smart you can throw in a couple of your own songs, and I can’t see that changing at all over the next few years, it’s a very a slow process!
Felicity: What does the next year hold for you guys?
Fofi: We’re already beginning to write new material and we have had lots of inspirations and we have a lot of new stuff already. We’re in production for the new music and we just want to tour a lot and play as many gigs as possible; obviously MSG was a big step for us, so we really need to build on that. I think for us to disappear from the UK for another year would not be smart. We’re playing SOS Fest in July so hopefully we will have another trip coming up in the winter, and just lots of gigging!
Felicity: So if you could choose anyone, who would you most want to support?
Fofi: Glenn Hughes! We love Glenn Hughes! There are a lot of bands actually; Airbourne are a great new up n coming band, and we would love to support Black Stone Cherry. We would love to support Motorhead! There are so many good bands out there that we think we would fit in with very well, but if we had to choose one it would be Glenn Hughes!
Felicity: I know that some people don’t agree with female singers, what’s it like for you personally trying to break into the industry?
Fofi: There aren’t many female fronted bands and it isn’t easy; some people are a little close-minded and don’t know what to expect from a woman in the rock scene so we’re here to prove the wrong! We have a strong sound, and I don’t think I sing like a woman- I think I have the strength and I’m aggressive enough to be comfortable standing against a male-fronted band.
Felicity: So what’s it like for you guys to be fronted by a female?
George: Well, we don’t have a problem with Fofi, but if it was another female... We quite often in the reviews we have get comments that Fofi reminds them of Dio or Glenn Hughes, which is good! We like that even though she is a woman she can compare to the huge male singers, and she isn’t your normal female voice.
Felicity: And what’s it like for you touring with men all the time?
Fofi: Well, we have so much chemistry together and we get on so well, we are just like a family unit. The female/male thing is very secondary, and I just don’t really think about it.
Felicity: And can we expect you at any festivals this year?
Fofi: We’ve got SOS Fest in July and then Wizzfest next March. I think festivals are a great opportunity for new bands as so many people hear the music, and while we don’t have anymore lined up at the moment we would certainly like some!
They have managed to completely alter my perception of female singers in rock bands and I’m definitely going to be catching these guys next time they play the UK; I’m rather happy as they’re playing SOS Fest in a week because I just can’t WAIT for this! They have such a wonderful musical style they are a pleasure to watch performing, and they are definitely worth a watch next time they’re in your area.
Their website is here, and it has all the links you will need for tickets and more info!
A very wonderful 9/10
Felicity Hall