Shindig! Magazine - Psychedelia, Garage, Beat, Powerpop, Soul, Folk

Live reviews

The Higher State / Hidden Masters
The Bottom Rung @ Henry’s, Edinburgh
Saturday May 8 2010
I’ve wanted to catch the Hidden Masters since they started out, but time and place always conspired against me…until now. No longer a quintet, this extraordinary-sounding Glasgow group are now part of the ever popular three-piece unit.
This was the second of their launch nights to announce debut 45, ‘Nobody Knows That We’re Here’, on the State label; helmed by The Higher State, who’ve journeyed up from England’s south coast to join in the merriment. They too have a new single.
HMs are first up and straight off soar ‘Into The Night Sky’ as heard on our recent cover mount CD. Breathtaking!

A welter of differing influences mark the individual terrain of guitarist Dave, drummer Johnny and bassist Alpha, but collectively they tune into psychedelic rock’n’roll laced with a heavier doom-prog edge. Remarkable percussive traits and lustrous three-part vocal harmonies add to the daring scenario. Two of their most compelling turns on tape, ‘Perfume’ and ‘Golden Hair’, are spectacularly exultant in the live setting; ditto their decidedly offbeat single, with its downer-syke flip ‘Grey Walls Grey’.
At last The Higher State come north, and although it’s a small gig, it’s a bustling affair. Love’s ‘You I’ll Be Following’ kicks off the jangling ride, succeeded by the glorious strains of new 45 ‘Song Of The Autumn’, before the title track off their splendiferous Darker By The Day LP pulsates from the stage.
Changes have occurred in the ‘State of late, none more obvious than the fact Mole is now playing drums - replacing the sadly-departed Mick Warren. Mole’s guitar/vocal spot now capably occupied by new ‘State man Dan Shaw. ‘Automatic Motion’, ‘From ‘Round Here’, and ‘Do You See Me’, peppered with superfast snare rolls and other wildman flourishes, charge the atmosphere further. This new, louder, brasher set-up means bassman Mark and lead singer/12-stringer Marty have to up the ante accordingly, giving the group a much more animated edge. A satisfyingly drawn-out reading of WCPAEB’s ‘Smell Of Incense’ rounds off an exceedingly fine evening.
Lenny Helsing

Blitzen Trapper
May 17, Borderline, London
Never one to turn down the Clint-Eastwood-loner-at-the-bar-on-own night out "free ticket" I popped into Soho's Borderline to witness Blitzen Trapper. These finely tuned Portland fellows blew me away with a mini-album last year, and I have recently fallen in love with my promo copy of their forthcoming full length effort Destroyer Of The Void . The exceptionally wonderful 'Defecting Grey'/Parachute/10CC/Queen title track may be the best piece of music recorded in 2010 so far. Even Andy Morten was impressed! So what were they like?

American bands don't usually win prizes for sartorial elegance, but then these 30-somethings were not trying to recreate the psychedelic '60s either, favouring that borderline hippy/boho slacker look, but when in a psychedelic mode musically they do so much better than tailor-made revivalist bands. Six guys: cool singer, eccentric guitarist and woolly hatted, bearded bass player, harmony singing drummer etc form the nucleus of this left-thinking alt-band. Playing a selection of material from their back cat. (storytelling folk-Rock/country-rock marred by a few typically American jump-up-and-down college-rock numbers with the quirky cadences of Beck) the six piece finally arrived at the magnificent title track of their new album Destroyer Of The Void (psych/prog/brainy pop overload) before calming down for a selection of more standardised tunes from the rest of the album. 'Destroyer Of The Void' has it all, and even in the live setting the harmonies and rocketing crescendos and songs within songs were recreated dynamically. Quite small guy Eric Earley sings like a bird, flicks out some southern rock riffage and occasionally reminds one of a young Dylan. His onstage foil the giant, ginger bespectacled Marty Marquis talks, jokes and adds the perfect harmonies... he also brings some life to the event.

Me? I stood at the bar and dug it, pleased by these guy's innate ability and grasp of Poco-like harmonies. If you read Shindig! please support these guys... they mine the music we adore.
John 'Mojo' Mills

Maintaining My Cool…. The Sonics @ Le Beat Bespoke London

Who would have ever thought that the day would come when The Sonics would be playing a show in your home town, the future is really like that, anything is possible, with the things we can do now and the highs that can actually be achieved. At risk of popping that old chestnut “I was a mod before you was a mod…” shenanigans, it really has been something like around25years since Metal Mike Saunders turned me on to the band with an article entitled “Have Love Will Travel” and I, in my youthful enthusiasm subsequently rushed out to the store to look ‘em up. Back in the days of the Drugby Union, The Sonics where a smash hit, the Reverberation Club was the place to be… Lights Sounds & Dancing ! Old Peter Gunn promptly changing his moniker to the ‘Sonic Boom’ he’s now somewhat famous for, Anyhoo… I digress.
The 2010 Beat Bespoke Bank Holiday Weekend Bash !
From the moment they hit there first ear shattering chord it was obvious there was no doubt that this was the same explosive band that had since carved legendary fame this whole wide world over, The Sonics in the House ! - Gerry Roslie, Andy Parypa, Larry Parypa, Rob Lind & Bob Bennett - we salute you. With two brand new songs that rock every bit as much as the rest of ‘em , they rocketed thru their power house set… all your favourites, as dirty, mean and fired up as you would expect. ..over an hour with The SONICS ! BOOM !!