Joe Sumner Fiction Plane in a small club awesome!

droskobass · #1 11-16-2007, 11:15 AM

Ok so I saw the Police in July at the Bell Center in Montreal and the opener was fiction Plane. It seemed like they were really rocking and Joe had all the moves and the voice that sting used to have in the early days.

So when a friend told me that I could see them on Tuesday in a tiny club Called Le Petit campus I jumped at the chance to see what these guys are really all about. I went not expecting much but to put it mildly: I had my mind blown away!

the energy and intensity of the performance in a tiny club was an incredible treat. And after the show I got to meet him and the band and he let me play his 59 master built custom shop bass. Very nice.

They are doing small club dates all over on the nights before or after the Police Shows. I highly recommend going and getting their album "Left side of the brain" there is no experience closer to what it would have been like to seeing the Police in 78 in a small club... these guys are as good or better and the songs are more modern yet have all the sparse elements of the early police tunes. Very cool. If there's any interest I'll post the pics of Joe's bass which he calls "Betty"

gweimer · #2 11-16-2007, 02:28 PM

You can't fault a guy that gets to open for his dad's band on their first big tour.

m.oreilly · #3 11-16-2007, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gweimer

You can't fault a guy that gets to open for his dad's band on their first big tour.

indeed

Goose72 · #4 11-16-2007, 04:00 PM

I was at the Police Show at Wrigley Field over the summer and I was glad that I went in when Fiction Plane was beginning to play, because they quickly became one of my favorite bands. At the time, I didnt realize that it was Sting's son's band, but I told my cousin that Joe sounds exactly like Sting and they have that very Police like sound/type of music, only for him to come back saying "that IS Sting's son!"
I can't even imagine being able to meet them and play Joe's bass

They sure rock!

MammaryVest · #5 11-16-2007, 11:08 PM

Not to be a Negative Nancy, but when I Saw the Police at Fenway Park I thought Fiction Plane was one of if not the least interesting bands that I'd ever heard. They played well and everything, but they were so incredibly average. Joe's bass is nice though.

droskobass · #6 11-19-2007, 02:37 PM

well when I saw them in july the performance went over my head. I didn't know any of the songs and I was anticipating the Police, so nothing they played stuck. But They Came back to montreal for a 3rd gig 4 months later. so this time instead of seeing to Police I opted for the small club fiction plane show, got the record in advance listened to it 5 times untill the tunes got in my head...then I went to see them with little or no expectations. actually i was ready to be bored. BUT they really rocked and everything clicked (It happens with every new band you get to the point where you get it...you like the music)

Meeting Joe was seriously kick ass and the club held about 70 people it was surreal. keep your ear to the ground. if the Police go back through your town or if you get the chance to discover these guys on one of their club dates and see what they are doing...and more importantly you're ready for new music played by a band as talented as the Police...then check these guys out.

They'll be arround for the Next 30 years... or at least i hope so.

BassManPatsFan · #7 11-19-2007, 03:42 PM

I saw the Police at the Garden a week ago last night and Fictionplane opened. I thought they were okay, although I wasn't really paying attention because who does for an opening act?

droskobass · #8 11-19-2007, 03:53 PM

Exactly that's why it's better to see them at the small club gigs that they are doing between the Police shows... after actually spending a bit of time with their album. It's a killer opportunity to see a premier rock vocalist (Joe) playing mean bass and fronting a killer band...in a small club!

you gotta give these guys props, they're playing for almost nothing in tiny clubs just to get their name out even though they're playing Arenas at the same time.... playing on rental ampegs and setting up their own gear. Just like us working stiffs.

I'll post the pics tonight you'll get a better idea.

bassist15 · #9 06-03-2008, 11:12 AM

I know this is an old thread but I have been getting into bassist who are lead singers so I revisited alot of Sting and now his son. If you still have pics of his bass could we see?

friskinator · #10 06-03-2008, 03:49 PM

I saw them in a tiny dump here in ATL a few months back and was blown away. Joe was one of the best bassists I've seen in awhile, which is understandable when Sting's your dad. The band was super tight, and came out blazing from the first song like they were playing an arena. I don't have any pics, but Joe was rocking what looked like a relic'd oly white P with gold pickguard. Sounded amazing.

SLBasshead · #11 11-16-2010, 09:00 PM

Time to resurrect a zombie thread. I just saw these guys last night at the Mercury Lounge in NYC (small bar/club.) My wife is a big fan of the band, so we have seen them twice before: once at Giants Stadium opening for The Police (ehh), then at a ballroom type venue in central PA (pretty good).

This time, they really just clicked. The energy was off the charts, and the playing was tight all the way around. I like their drummer and guitarist a lot (I play some drums, myself.) Joe sounded really good: P-bass white w/gold pickguard (mentioned above), through an SVT and an Ampeg 4x10 (I believe.) His playing was really tasty. They feed off each other so well. The new songs (from what I could recognize) were really good live. The crowd was also a part of the great vibe - sang well along with the songs, and fed into the energy.

I think this might be on my top 5 list for favorite shows I have seen - surprisingly. If you want to see a high energy show with a mix of what I would call alt-rock, punk, grungy styles, I would recommend checking them out. They do have a 2010 version of an "early Police" vibe to them, IMO - particularly the energy.