At times it is hard to remember that FM have been around for nearly 40 years. Formed in 1984 by the ex-Samson pair of bassist Merv Goldsworthy and drummer Pete Jupp along with the Overland brothers – vocalist/guitarist Steve and lead guitarist Chris Overland (both formerly of Wildlife) and keyboard player Philip Manchester (The Invaders). They were quickly signed with ‘Indiscreet’ coming out in 1986, to be followed by ‘Tough It Out’ in 1989 which broke into the UK Top 40 and saw contributions from songwriting luminaries such as Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, etc.), Jesse Harms, Robin and Judith Randall (Mark Free). To celebrate 30th the band played it in its entirety on their last shows of 2019 in the UK and Germany, and this set captures that along with a number of tracks which FM have rarely performed live.

The band took an 11-year gap between 1996 and 2007, but have consistently recorded and toured since they reformed, with Goldsworthy, Jupp and Steve Overland still there while keyboard player Jem Davis joined back in 1993 and guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick came onboard in 2008. Musically they follow a similar path to Foreigner in many ways, although singer Overland has a more emotional and broader vocal range than his counterparts across the water. It is when the guys are at pace that this album really comes to life, and there is no doubt the audience are into it. When a band has been together as long as these have then it is hard to put on a bad show, but it also means there are times when they can be a little flat due to sheer familiarity, and this is more obvious on the slower songs.

This combination means that to the average melodic rock punter this is an interesting introduction to the band without ever really being essential but to the fan this is something they will definitely want to invest in.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
https://www.fmofficial.com/
https://www.frontiers.it/