Sting- and Ziggy-inspired Two Sisters playing now. Click the  button to hear Drink. Click it again to hear Cross the Line, reminiscent of U2 and Coldplay.. |
If this sounds as if I am writing about The Police, I am not. I’m referring to the opening act for The Police – a pop-rock band called Fiction Plane.
For a trio of British musicians who are touring with The Police, comparisons are inevitable. That the lead singer is Joe Sumner, son of Gordon Sumner, a.k.a. Sting, makes the comparisons practically required.
As far as talented children of famous musicians go, Sumner compares favorably with Ziggy Marley, Jacob Dylan (The Wallflowers), Julian Lennon or Carnie Wilson (Wilson Phillips).
Actually, Sumner has it a lot easier. Imagine having a parent who is, respectively, the godfather of reggae (Bob Marley), the most influential songwriter of the rock era (Bob Dylan), a Beatle (John Lennon) or a Beach Boy (Brian Wilson).
All Sumner has to contend with is that his father is nothing less than the most influential musician of the ’80s. He does so quite effectively.
When you listen to Fiction Plane’s latest album, Left Side of the Brain, you don’t necessarily think of The Police. Instead, you may hear some Police-influenced elements.
An exception is Two Sisters, which, with its reggae back beat, sounds very much like The Bed’s Too Big Without You from The Police (1979). No worries here, except that Two Sisters looks to be Fiction Plane’s biggest hit to date.
One can only hope that if the music market rewards Fiction Plane for sounding like The Police, the band won’t seek that reward too often. We don’t need another Police tribute band, as Scrantonicity fills that role nicely.
There are plenty of other influences to be recognized on Left Side of the Brain. Sumner claims to have not been interested in music until he heard Nirvana. The dark, self-loathing lyrics of Drink would certainly have made Kurt Cobain proud.
Any singer/songwriter who grew up in the ’80s and '90s would have to have been influenced by U2. Indeed, that is much of the appeal of Coldplay. This influence, as well as Coldplay’s, seems pretty clear on Cold Water Symmetry and Cross The Line.
Anyone who works for a successful family business can tell you that there are only two choices: Make a name for yourself or live off of the family name.
With Fiction Plane, young Sumner looks to have accomplished a bit of both. His music is clever, original and seems to pay tribute to many influences.
That Fiction Plane seeks a wide audience by playing with The Police is a choice that any up-and-coming band would make.
myspace.com/fictionplane
fictionplane.info
fictionplane.net
