For economic and other practical reasons, it’s increasingly rare for singer-songwriters to seek shelter in a band, but that risky shift has paid off for Anna Friedberg. She grew up learning guitar and writing songs in her bedroom in Austria, then evolved into solo artist Anna F, supported by her side hustle as a sports journalist. Tiring of working alone, five years ago she formed London-based dance-punk outfit Friedberg with guitarist Emily Linden, bassist Cheryl Pinero and drummer Fifi Dewey.
Excellent early singles Lizzy, Yeah and Go Wild established the band as a great go-to for tracks that leaven emotion with motion, always tugging at your sleeve, dragging you to the dancefloor. LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy would be proud. Friedberg’s woozy, off-kilter warmth warps punk-funk into slinky new shapes.
On stage, the four’s interplay is rhythmic, mesmerising, gilded by Anna’s pure, clear voice and more cowbell than you’d expect outside a Saturday Night Live sketch. With tension and release, they intersperse road-toughened material with new tracks such as My Best Friend that come over cooler than a Brooklyn basement in winter, plus covers including Grauzone’s cult classic Eisbär (literally “ice bear”). “We love it so much, we’ve just recorded a version with Hot Chip,” says Anna. “We were partying in the studio with them listening to it.”
Friedberg’s single Hardcore Workout Queen is out now. Their debut album of the same name is out on 11 November via Clouds Hill
