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Live at The Belasco
August 5th, 2026 Review by Bruce R Kilgour
When it comes to new wave / modern rock bands from what is affectionately described as the “MTV era,” a few things are often true. First, said bands rarely have all their classic period members and second, rarely can they boast having eight major hit songs. The Fixx, after 43 years can say both. All five of the band members from their 1983 hit album “Reach the Beach” are still in the band today: vocalist Cy Curnin, guitarist Jamie West-Oram, keyboardist Rupert Greenall, drummer Adam Woods, and bassist Dan K. Brown.
Just over halfway through their U.S. summer tour, The Fixx brought their career-spanning show to The Belasco on July 30th, with special guests Ozomatli supporting them on this evening.
Los Angeles natives Ozomatli opened the night with an exciting 60-minute set featuring their most well-known material.
The six core members of the band (together since their debut album in 1998) were joined by former member Kanetic Source on rap vocals for almost half of their 14-song set.
Kanetic only joins Ozomatli occasionally, so this was quite a treat for both him and long-time fans.
Ozomatli has always been impossible to categorize, as their music is a blend of salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop and rock, and all these genres were represented in their set.
Although they are known for their outspoken social and political activism, such banter was noticeably kept to a minimum on this evening. As they have frequently done for several years, the band ended their set with “Como Ves” (from their debut album) and marched through the audience with their horns and percussion.
This show had originally been advertised as having beloved New Jersey rockers The Smithereens as the opener, and there were several fans in attendance unaware of the revised bill. However, Ozomatli certainly won over the crowd, as this reviewer has seen them do at many shows over the past few years.
Hitting the stage with a cool intro loop, The Fixx opened with the title track from their 2012 LP “Beautiful Friction.” The ageless Curnin moved hypnotically in his casual white suit, immediately engaging the packed Belasco. Introducing the next song “How Much Is Enough?” he stated that, “How much more can we take is really the question!”
The first big hit of the night was next, their 1982 debut single “Stand or Fall,” followed by the deep cut “Are You Satisfied?” I should note that a “career-spanning” set by The Fixx means performing at least one song from all 10 of their studio albums, not a common occurrence from legacy modern rock bands these days!
The chart-topping “Secret Separation” from 1986 provided a huge singalong from the crowd, as did the first track performed from “Reach the Beach” a few songs later, “Opinions.” For “Driven Out,” Curnin played some sharp rhythm guitar, and made his first politically charged comment of the night regarding government spending and musing, “Crisis? What crisis?”
Following a few deeper tracks, “Built for the Future” and “Shaman,” it was time for their best-known and highest charting single, “One Thing Leads to Another.” Following a brief introduction from Curnin in which he stated that, “Even more elections are coming up… blah blah blah,” West-Oram stepped forward and played the familiar slashing guitar chords that lit up MTV back in 1983.
Next up was the coolest song from the 1984 film “Streets of Fire” soundtrack, the hit “Deeper and Deeper,” which featured a blazing solo from West-Oram. Ending the main set was another great audience participation track, the enormous modern rock hit “Red Skies” featuring the catchy “oh-oh-oh” chorus and Greenall’s snaky synthesizer riffs.
After a group bow and a brief exit, The Fixx returned with “Are We Ourselves?” and the introspective “Happy Landings,” which Curnin dedicated to “my late mother, and all mothers past, present, and future.”
Ending the 90-minute set was their very first hit from 1982, “Saved by Zero,” featuring great interplay from the rhythm section of Woods and Brown.
The Fixx continue to thrill audiences with thoughtful (and still timely) lyrics and the tight musicianship that can only come with more than four decades of constant touring. Next up for the band is an East Coast tour encompassing the entire month of September.
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Highway One Photography
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SID 260808 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
