King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - Academy, Manchester (2/9/23)

Scheduled around Manchester Psych Fest, this is a special late show with the band due on stage at midnight.

Before the band come on stage, Los Bitchos warm up the crowd with a DJ set where they play a bunch of disco classics. This is extremely well received and the crowd are REALLY into the ABBA tracks in particular.

King Gizzard ease us in with a majestic 'Crumbling Castle', starting off gently before gradually cranking up the intensity over the course of its fifteen or so minutes. 'Supercell' is a fucking barrage of speed metal riffs, whilst fellow new track 'Dragon' absolutely crushes. The new stuff is essentially 'Rust In Peace' as played by Hawkwind, and it is so intense. It soon becomes clear that KG can try their hands at anything from psych hip hop to funk to psychedelic soul and all of it is great. 'Evil Death Roll' is flat out psych rock and roll with the emphasis on rock. Every song is stretched out and jammed to its maximum, taking you into space, through the galaxies and beyond the sun. It is glorious. As glorious as it is, at 1:35AM I reach my limit and decide to call it a night, even though the band play on for another twenty minutes. One of the best bands around.

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard *****

Manchester Psych Festival - Various Venues, Manchester (2/9/23)

Although the festival starts around 1pm, I don't actually get to any of the venues until around 3.30 as there wasn't really any bands I wanted to see before that. I start off at The Ritz because I want to watch The Murlocs. At these things, it's usually a good idea to get at the venues early to make sure you see the bands you really want to see. At the Psych Fest, there are so many bands playing which overlap or clash, and it means that there are choices to be made.

I catch the last ten minutes of Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage playing a rather different type of set. He is running through a history of Lower East Side punk rock from the fifties to the mid seventies where he talks about key artists in particular years and then covers a seminal track. I catch the years 1967 to 1976 which means covers of The Velvet Underground, David Peel, The Stooges, Patti Smith, New York Dolls and Richard Hell. A whole lot of fun.

The Murlocs start off sounding like a garage version of The Knack's 'My Sharona'. It's pretty good but midway through the opener they suddenly set the controls for the sun. The energy and intensity is completely dialled up and it is staggering. They have a big rock energy which reminds me of their fellow countrymen Jet. The psych country swagger of new track 'Russian Roulette' is excellent, whilst the barroom honky tonk of 'Initiative' gets peoples hips moving. They have a Stooges feel On 'Wickr Man'. 'Subsidiary' rocks out like 'Paranoid' whilst frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith draws energy from the pogoing crowd. 'Bobbing And Weaving' is compact and dynamic. Overall, it's an absolutely exhilarating set, but the second half of it is particularly high octane.

I decide to stay in the same venue to watch New York's Bodega. They play quirky, danceable alt rock reminiscent of The B52's. Heavily percussive, they are energetic and great fun. The terrific 'How Did This Happen!?' showcases their punk side. A new track from the forthcoming album takes the band down a darker post-punk trip. They even cover a Fugazi song although I couldn't tell you which one. The brilliant 'Statuette On The Console' is punk rock with a motorik pulse. 'Truth Is Not Punishment' is stretched out into an extended punk funk wig out, which is entrancing. They even take a request and play 'Jack In Titanic'. Excellent stuff.

Having learned a lesson from last year when I crashed and burned earlier than expected, I thought it would be a good idea to have a rest and a bite to eat because I had a late night ahead of me. However, this is where things start to go wrong. The plan was to go and see Say She She but I got to Canvas about 15 minutes before they were due on stage to find a humongous queue and it was a policy of one out, one in. A shame because they were one of the bands I wanted to see the most.

Disappointed, I head to the YES basement to wait for Memorials. They essentially play soundtrack music which covers many musical styles. They start with ambient industrial drone with waves of noise pulsing back and forth, although the vocals aren't great which takes you a little out of the moment. Their sound is hard to pin down because it covers so many genres. On one song they sound like Stereolab but another track is more jazz with psych touches. They are pretty good but they are probably a little too eclectic for their own good. They mess up during one of their more pastoral folk songs and have to start again. They revert back to drone, with jazzy touches provided by saxophone, which is then pitched up to a dance beat, and this is by far the highlight of the set. A bit of a mixed bag really.

I then go upstairs to watch Just Mustard. I was really looking forward to watching them because their 'Heart Under' album is great. However, from the start they sound flat. The vocals seem too low in the mix. The guitar picking and effects are interesting though (some bits sound like 'Popcorn'). What is captivating and draws you in on record just doesn't connect the same way live and it leaves me cold. The heavier tracks still work though, even if the vocals seem too delicate to cut through the noise. About four tracks in, it starts doing what it should. The bass resonates through the venue and they start to conjure an atmosphere akin to Chelsea Wolfe or A.A. Williams. They don't maintain this however and it reverts back to the same level of disconnect. Things aren't helped by the atmosphere. There is a bit of aggro down towards the front, no doubt fuelled by a long day of drinking. Dismayed, I decide to cut my losses and walk down to The Deaf Institute to watch Magick Mountain instead.

Leeds' Magick Mountain play deliciously fuzzy grunge/stoner rock. They sometimes have a Mudhoney feel with their discordant, grungy punk. It's a basic, simple formula but it is pretty good. Their cover of Neil Young's 'Cinnamon Girl' is ok but original material like 'The Shitty Beatles' is probably more successful.

This signals the end of the festival for me. Not because I'm tired (even though I am) or because the festival is over (bands are playing right up until 4am), but because I have a midnight King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard to get to.

Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage ****

The Murlocs *****

Bodega ****

Memorials ***

Just Mustard ***

Magic Mountain ***

Thus Love & Van Houten - YES Pink Room, Manchester (25/8/23)

Leeds' Van Houten are indie rock with a quiet/loud dynamic which sounds like a Scottish indie/post rock band covering the more maudlin Weezer tracks. They have a sound which is quite hard to pinpoint as there are elements of indie, alt rock and post rock in their sound. Instrumentally, they remind me a little of Arab Strap too. Decent.

Thus Love open with a magnificent 'Repetitioner', its gorgeous Johnny Marr-esque guitar lines complimented by Echo Marshall's rich vocals. 'In Tandem' sounds like Julian Casablancas covering Joy Division, cool laid back vocals laid over a tight post-punk groove. 'Family Man' sounds less like a post-punk Lloyd Cole live than it does on record. They also sound less like The Smiths than they do on record, mainly because the Johnny Marr style guitar work is less pronounced live. They sound rawer, less refined and a little yobbish which makes for a thrilling live experience. When Echo really sings, she sounds great, like a cross between the aforementioned Casablancas, Cole and Neil Hannon. 'Pith And Point' is majestic, whilst the roar of feedback which precedes 'Centerfield' is magnificent. The driving, soaring 'Put On Dog' closes the regular set in an excellent fashion.

Thus Love *****

Van Houten ****

Bell Witch & Fuoco Fatuo - The Bread Shed, Manchester (17/8/23)

Fuoco Fatuo play cavernous death doom, which is apt because the band look like they've crawled out from the depths. The super low and sonorous vocals are great, adding depth and acting as another instrument. I just wish the guitars were louder. It is heavy and atmospheric, yet it also lacks dynamics and is a bit too one paced, meaning that it gets a bit boring at times. The climax of the set is pounding and tribal though.

Bell Witch open with a spiritual sounding organ whilst the screen behind them shows a sole candle being lit. This is the introduction to their new album 'The Clandestine Gate' which they play in its entirety. A delicate post rock bassline follows, which then leads into a super slow, super heavy riff. This is funeral doom which you can feel deep in your chest. It moves at a snail's pace but is utterly captivating as there's enough nuance to stop this from getting boring. The ghostly vocals, laced with effects, channel the voices of spirits from ages gone by, whilst the drums thunder even though they are only playing a handful of beats per minute. 'Earth 2' and SunnO))) are obvious influences here. This all builds up to a glorious wall of noise before we are brought back to the same opening organ as an outro. Astounding.

Bell Witch ****

Fuoco Fatuo ***

Deicide & Foetal Juice - Rebellion, Manchester (16/8/23)

There's a great turnout for this considering how busy Manchester is tonight for metal, with Russian Circles and Biohazard playing elsewhere in town tonight (Turnstile were meant to have been playing too but rescheduled due to travel issues). My friends were at the Biohazard show but that was never an option for me. I swore off Biohazard a long time ago. I saw them around the turn of the century and they were the worst band I've ever seen live. They messed up a number of songs, and stopped playing around half a dozen times. The worst thing was they weren't even bothered about it. Each time, they just burst out laughing. I just found it unforgivable for a touring band, especially to care so little about it. Which is partly why I chose Deicide tonight instead.

Local lads Foetal Juice open up with some brutal death metal mixed with some foot to the floor d-beat. The d-beat bits are the most successful, but the death metal is great too. The death metal occasionally veers into slam territory but is generally rooted in the classics such as 'Altars Of Madness' era Morbid Angel or Bolt Thrower. 'Noneckahedron' has a 'Left Hand Path' feel whilst 'Manifestation Of Falsity' has a 'Necroticism' era Carcass feel.

Deicide are punishing right from the start as they open with 'Satan Spawn, The Caco-Daemon'. This is then followed by a pummelling 'Dead But Dreaming'. They were always based more upon dense riffs rather than out and out speed but 'Trifixion' is still played at a furious pace. 'Revocate The Agitator' is lightning fast too. The intense 'In Hell I Burn' is packed with riff upon riff, which makes them feel like the Dark Angel of death metal. 'Once Upon The Cross' is tight as fuck and causes utter carnage. 'They Are The Children Of The Underworld' is crushing, although I could use this and punishing and pummelling as an adjective for each and every song they play. Sweat is dripping off everyone as they play a devastating 'Scars Of The Crucifix'. It is hotter than hell in the venue and Glen Benton even makes a joke about it. There was a time in the early 90s when Benton was genuinely terrifying. Forget Guns 'N' Roses and their claim of being the most dangerous band in the world. Here was a guy, who to a teenager, seemed genuinely evil and scary but he seems to have evolved into Evil Uncle Glen. The crowd have been shouting for 'Dead By Dawn' all night and when they play it, it doesn't disappoint. Glen even has a shit eating grin whilst playing it. The PA struggles on the last couple of songs but it is still intense as fuck. An absolute triumph.

Deicide ****

Foetal Juice ****