Fortuna Pop Session - BUTTERFLIES OF LOVE, Airport Girl and Chemistry Experiment
RoTa Session at Notting Hill Arts Club Sat 15th April 2000

"Fortuna Pop - more soul than Wigan Casino" claims the flyer, and indeed, this afternoon's DJs are playing some classic Northern Soul and Motown amongst the usual smattering of indie new releases.
It creates a really good atmosphere, and after two pretty impressive sets from the Chemistry Experiment and Airport Girl, the Butterflies of Love can't fail.
From New Haven, Connecticut, The Butterflies Of Love have fled their birthplace to come to London and they claim they're never going back. The two brothers that are the backbone of the band, Jeffery and Daniel Green, have been here for a while, and the bass player chucked his job in just the other day so he could join them here. It's a gamble which could pay off, given the customary drooling the British press tends to get engage in over bands like this.
A lazy comparison is the laid back tunefulness of the Webb Brothers, although others have (rightly?) cited Galaxie 500/ Luna and Swell as the main influence on TBOL. Throughout their 15 song set it's hard to really pin them down. They're intense, but in the way Neil Young or Gram Parsons are intense, and they're melodic too. The standout tracks include a few slow-burning things I couldn't put a name too ('Rob A Bank'?), and the fine new single 'Wintertime Queen' which is presumably the reason the club is so packed today.
If they keep their promises and stay around London, get to see them while you can experience them in places as intimate as this. (8/10)