After a break on the patio, one beer, and a conversation about 35mm photography, Friko hit the ground running and delivered an hour-long set with no breaks. It was an hour of pure, raw energy and excitement. Lead singer, Niko Kapetan, has one of the most impressive vocal ranges I have heard live, and is sure to stun. The group has incredible chemistry, their stage presence and energy unwavering despite the lack of air conditioning on the first 80-degree day in Columbus, Ohio.

Friko is an incredibly underrated band in terms of both their musical prowess and stage presence. It felt almost impossible to not move along to the music, no matter how soft the song. The band played several songs that are unreleased at this time, and I eagerly await the release of these tracks. The band previously released their album “Where we’ve been, Where we go from here” in February of 2024. Their set was an incredible amalgamation of their discography and unreleased songs that have been in the works for quite some time.

Two songs that stood out to me the most during the set were Cardinal, and Choo Choo. Cardinal took my breath away–the ability of a band like Friko to move from such a heavy, emotional sound to a singer-songwriter piece blew me away. The whistling with full vibrato was a plus, but Niko’s vocals genuinely gave me chills.

Choo Choo is an unreleased song, simply stated as being “a song about trains.”

“Period ” I say to myself

What follows is a total banger that, I only described in my notes app as “‘Choo Choo’ insert raw ass beats.” I couldn’t bear to be on my phone for any longer during such an incredible set, so you’ll just have to take my word for it that Friko is an artist to catch if they come through your city. Friko has some impeccable work on deck for release, and I say this with my whole chest, I believe they are going to become incredibly successful in the near future. If you are a fan of artists such as Black Country, New Road, or English Teacher, you will enjoy their American counterparts.