Sheer Joy.
This is the only feeling you get at a Future Islands show. If you don’t feel that when you go see Future Islands, then I pity you.
I think the reason is simply this: Samuel T Herring dances like nobody is watching, only everyone is watching. He first inspired us on Letterman, bearing his soul and risking humiliation in front of millions. That single video, struck a chord with the audience. We want him to keep dancing, and he has happily obliged. It also helps that Future Island’s latest release is quite good.
On what I assume is the last leg of their tour, I noticed two new dance moves in his repertoire that I did not see last time I saw him live
1. Machine gun fist pump. Not your standard fist pump this one has multiple false starts before exploding into one gigantic fist pump. What a move.
2. Guile back spin punch – you know the one, you press away from the opponent and the press strong punch. Impressive move, I hope he doesn’t accidentally knock out his guitar player on a smaller stage
We all want to find the thing that makes us feel the passion that Samuel T Herring feels when he sings his songs. While not all of us can find it, we are simply glad one of us has.