This show was billed as the Triple Dose O' Evil Fuzz Live album Recordings, as apparently it will be coming out as a triple album at some point.
Well in contrast to the previous two friday night gigs this one was running fashionably late so that arriving about an hour after the doors opened I walked in on the trail end of The Lysergics' soundcheck. Good job I did too as they chose to soundcheck with some mighty Spacemen 3 Psyched up freak out that put a smile on my face.
Eventually the first band actually on were ready and THE NEW TRUTH sounded anything but new as they have taken a blueprint that is 1967 garage psychedelia and run with it by adding a singer who seems to be in thrall to Steve Marriot. That would be fine if he had enough miles on the clock, but these guys are so young and this music is now so old that they come across like a band of teens in the 60's playing Dixieland Jazz!
They may have all the right sounds but none of the right chemical make up or authentic equipment to be convincing. Only the guitarist looks like he may have taken acid or had an idea of what Red Leb is. They were enjoyable but too conscious of trying to be something it's impossible to be, unless you were there. They need to build their own identity and then they might be worth a whirl.
The same could be said for SPEAK AND THE SPELLS who have gone one step further than The New Truth in that they have haircuts straight out of 1966/7 as well and are playing in all white, almost like band uniforms. They are a lot fuzzier too with better songs and while equally slavish to the 60's psych garage of Gonn and The Sonics seem to have more of an identity and a bit more originality. However, unless there is a widespread 60's garage revival I don't see where they are going other than onto a nostalgia circuit of some sort.
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Finally it was time for something that ended up sounding more grown up. Well, THE LYSERGICS are that bit older than the first two bands, show a wider range of influences and have the sound of a 60's grage rock band coupled with the same sort of filter applied to it in the 80's and 90's by everyone from Spacemen 3 to Rain Parade or The Playne Jayne in that they use the influences to create something new from them.
There is a great sonic stew on offer here. Plenty of repetitive droney guitar bits and freak outs and plenty of attitude that was clearly shown. After they were told they only had a 4 song set they begged and got a 5th song and in time-honoured fashion in this sort of argument left us with a scorching 15 minute work out of a song that lifted the roof off the place and had the bar staff worriedly looking at there watches as they over ran the live music hours licencse. Maybe they thought we will all turn into pumpkins if we hear live music past 11.30 on a Friday evening. Whatever next?
Oh, and as I said the last time I Saw The Lysergics at The Dirty Water Club they sound just like a band called The Lysergics ought to. Good stuff.
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