Kevin Bronson on August 25th, 2009

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Must be something about the El Rey Theatre. At Friday’s funfest with Los Campesinos!, vocalist Aleksandra Campesinos sounded like somebody had taken sandpaper to her pipes. And then Monday, Friendly Fires’ triumphant return to L.A. was threatened by the overextended voice of frontman Ed Mcfarlane. “Sorry if I sound like I swallowed a frog,” he said rather sheepishly.

He needed not worry about Friendly Fires’ sold-out show croaking.

The fans – from the kids in their glowing accessories to older rockists (ahem) enthralled by dance music that doesn’t sound as if it came out of Pez dispenser – ate it up. Hips shook, bodies bounced and arms waved as the Fires careened through their 2008 debut album, their sonic web of synths, beats and guitars tighter than ever. Mcfarlane seemed a bit taken aback by the adulation, but it’s no surprise to anybody who witnessed SoCal’s growing love affair with the band. From their first L.A. show (early last year to a half-full room at Spaceland, a real can-you-believe-I-just-saw-that-in-a-club-this-small moment), Friendly Fires’ fan-friendly combination of moxie and four-on-the-floor romanticism has been addictive.

That Mcfarlane, drummer Jack Savidge, bassist Rob Lee and guitarist Edd Gibson were joined on this night by a two-man horn section only iced the cake. The brass added yet another dimension to their already colorful dynamic. It was hard to believe that only an hour elapsed from opener “Lovesick” to to the wildly percussive closer “Ex Lover.” I’m not sure anybody felt short-changed.

Openers the Phenomenal Handclap Band look like a band somebody designed for a high school art project – “Dude, the guy in the middle has to wear a medallion!” The seven-piece’s “Godspell”-meets-cheesy ’80s disco, too reliant on repetitive lyrics and beats that offered little musical or emotional payoff, didn’t inspire much in the way of dancing. Or handclapping, for that matter.

||| Live: Friendly Fires return to L.A. on Nov. 26 for a show at the Music Box @ Fonda.

Photos by Laurie Scavo