Another wee night at my favourite venue for a four-band bill from Newcastle and Australia. We start with Melbourne-based groove rock band Square Dance Caller on their first UK tour, formed in 2021 by multi-instrumentalists, songwriters, and brothers Brendan (guitarist/singer) and Michael Etherington drummer/singer). The lineup is completed by Mat Hooler on keyboards and James Manning on bass. The ‘ set tonight is mainly culled from their 2021 album Celebrity with the likes of the smooth easy rocker “Swimming Pool”, the bouncier “On An Island” with its slight nod to Oasis with its beat. Meanwhile, “Heavy” is just that with an easy going beat overlapped with some tasty Pink Floyd style guitar work and vocals; possibly my favourite of their set.
There is a reggae beat bouncing along in the “Spliff Bunker” which actually reminded me a bit of Men At Work, we visit the “London Underground” which they loved so much they made a song about it and we bounce to their 2022 Daze In Technicolor EP for “Somebody Like You” a real easy listener. The set also included “The Way You Know” and “Just Kids” which were both new tracks, I believe. This was an easy enjoyable intro band for tonight, aimed at those more indie orientated rock fans but no less enjoyable for it, their site says they take inspiration from the likes of the Arctic Monkeys, The Clash and Gorillaz, whilst stamping on their own mark and I would throw in the bands above that I have mentioned as well, give them a listen and catch them if you can.
We have two piece Geordies, The Vessel with Idene Roozbayani on bass/vocals and Dave Barlow on drums. The setlist is completely from their excellent self-titled 2023 album which came out last month, starting with an intense drumming/bass-driven “Closing Doors”, heavy stuff indeed from a two piece. The intense dirty bass next leads us to “Let Me In, Jack” – think scary early Sabbath bass riffs meets Rage against the Machine vocals. Nice, the heavy riffage announces “Big Zedder” with an almost detuned vibrating bass sound and the drums doing just the necessary fills, nothing more needed and is a highlight of their set. There are “Sedatives” on hand before we meets the “Rats” with its almost familiar grainy bass lines and harsh vocals before the boys end their short but ferocious set with the almost heavy punk-induced “The Wrong’un”. This was an intense almost angry vocal, bass and drum focused set from the boys. Scary stuff but give the album a listen as it’s rather good and for a two piece this was a full band performance.
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Still in Newcastle, up next are the Dunes boys with Adrian Huggins on bass, John Davies on guitar/vocals and Nikky Watson on drums with some North East stoner rock for fans of Queens of the Stone Age, Torche, and Clutch. The boys kick things off with “Velvet” from their 2017 Dunes EP, a heavy guitar tone kicks in with some fat bass riffs and drums and you instantly get that QOTSA vibe but with John’s differing vocals, a very strong start. Their 2021 single “This Must Be The Plaque” up next with its haunting guitar and pulsating Sabbath bass riffs, the vocals carry you along on the back of some of the best riffs I’ve heard in a long time. The boys keep the vibe going with two new excellent tracks in the form of “Tides” & “Riding The Low”. How have I not heard these boys before? We head back to the Dunes EP2 from 2018 with “Illegitimate Hulk” and the feet are going to the beat, the head is nodding with the vibe, the grin is grinning; stunning. The boys end a far too short set with the pounding “Heart of the Sun” from their epic 2022 album Gargoyle. This was a fantastic set from my point of view and a band I’ll definitely be following from now on, stoner rock at its absolute best. My head is nodding away and my feet are tapping as I listen to the boys while writing this review!
So now to the headliners A Gazillion Angry Mexicans who are actually Australian with Ben Smith on vocals/guitar, Daniel Smith on guitar, James Coelli on bass and Sam Macauley on drums with the majority of the show from their excellent 2022 Blood Rainbow album. They start off with the intro piece “Midsommar Fever Dream” before the main track “Trail of the Cloven Hoof” and we are treated to some more excellent doom/stoner rock, quickly followed by the intense crescendo building “Plume” with its slow mellow build up before the intense vocals catch you by surprise which leads you into some Alice in Wonderland trippy music, just fabulous. The heavy “All My Friends Are Dead” from their 2018 Stonerpopdoompunk album; a harder, more intense vocal lead song with some intense guitar/bass riffs all the way through it, tremendous stuff.
Another couple from Blood Rainbow, starting off with the intense “Purgatory” before we go on a “Pilgrimage” with its haunting vocals and intense-driven guitar tones. We are asked to “Rattle My Cage” now from their self titled 2016 EP with its thumping tones carrying us along before we meet “Mary” another from Stonerpopdoompunk which has hints of early Nirvana meets QOTSA. The intense guitars kick in on a “Double Vision Quest” with similar intense vocals before we catch up with “Mercury and The Old Gods” as the drums kick in with some intense bass and guitar before the vocals come in again with an urgency that perfectly suits the overlaying instruments. It reminds me of a band but I just cannot grasp who at the moment. There is a real slow Sabbath style dirty guitar tone opener as the boys end the night with “NAF” from Stonerpopdoompunk with its early Pink Floyd meets QOTSA style vocals, a fantastic ending to a simply fabulous night of music from 4 bands I’ve never heard of or seen before now but that will be rectified that with immediate effect.
I loved tonight, as will you if you get out there and see new bands along with supporting your local venues and who knows, you might find four new bands that you actually end up loving like I did. A win for me, go see all of them live, you will not be disappointed.
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Pics by Gary Cooper
