Fitz & the Tantrums roil Hammer Museum crowd

A humid Thursday night in L.A. offered the perfect excuse to check out a buzzin' local act in an outdoor setting, so SoundCheck headed for the Hammer Museum to catch the funk of Fitz and the Tantrums.

The show was part of the Westwood museum's "Also I Like to Rock" series, curated by Buzzbands LA blogger Kevin Bronson and presented by KCRW. Bronson estimated that the July 15 crowd exceeded 1,400; a turn-away line snaked around the Wilshire Boulevard facility at showtime, and the atrium was packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

And for good reason. Michael "Fitz" Fitzpatrick's act has developed quite a following over the last two years with its tight-as-a-drum retooling of classic soul and funk stylings. The group's acronym of choice is FATT, and that describes their sound: Vocalists Fitz and Noelle Scaggs are supported by six blazing pieces (three horns, keyboards, bass and drums -- no guitar). After just a couple of numbers, it was easy to understand how the group scored opening-act duties for another hot neo-soul combo, Daptone's Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

The Tantrums ripped through a hearty set of tunes drawn from the group's forthcoming Dangerbird debut "Pickin' Up the Pieces" (set for Aug. 24) and last year's EP "Songs For a Breakup." Fitz flexed some showmanship, at one juncture instructing the band and the audience to "get down" and settling them on the floor before rousing them into a bounding, cheering frenzy. The group also impressed with a marvelous cover of Eurhythmics' "Sweet Dreams" propelled by John Wicks' on-the-one drumming.

With a pair of appealing vocalists, chops for days and energy to spare, FATT have all the skills to reside at the top of the neo-soul heap.

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