DUNDEE LIVE - BANDS TO WATCH!!
INDICA + FAKE - Hustlers 22-08-08
It was Indica's return to live work after a lengthy hiatus, and the trio came back so much stronger than when they left - and that was strong, in itself!!
Introducing the first track with just guitar and vocal, the song moved into a kind of Kings X styled ballad with solid singing, subtly added guitar chords, followed by deep bass and cymbals. GRadually the song starts to builds a head of steam and the trio drive forward in stoner rock fashion with a complete irresistibility that sets them apart from the rest. The bass drops back to let the chiming guitar chords as added vocals and percussion take the reins on a lengthy, languid section which eventually turns into a rampaging guitar driven river that rushes from the PA system as the rhythm section nails it and the song climaxes to perfection - a great opener that promised much - and they weren't about to disappoint.
The second track began with a Hendrix-y intro as swirling guitar leads into a relaxed psychedelic rhythm, then a slightly drawling yet strong vocal cascades before a swirling burst of brief lead guitar breaks in, the whole thing wreaking of "'70's" but there's a real freshness to it, not to mention a seriously dirty yet absolutely clear sound, all very much like a Scottish answer to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, only without any of the "trademarks".
Track three opened with ringing guitar, rumbling bass, solid vocal and crunching drums, a bit like Dundee's own Core only without the hardcore elements - and that's how it sailed onwards, grooving away in fine psych indie fashion, the song itself taking centre stage. It energises and electrifies as the band turn up the heat only then, as if to say "you've heard nothing yet", they accelerate to furnace proportions as the guitar goes into orbit, the drums pound away and that amazingly solid bass pummels you squarely in the gut. Track four began with a lurching rhythm, guitar notes that hung suspended then tip-toed forward above an almost dub-esque rhythm into a kind of psychdelic dub that flows into life. The vocal kind of soars languidly on top as the song is propelled more by its atmosphere than its drive. A guitar break that sounds more like a high register bass heralds the unleashing of a wall of guitar and the two weave int and out of each other as the rhythm steadily flows. Slowly the intensity rises and it all takes off without ever leaving the ground.
Fifth track begins with a short intro that builds into a monster of a song with a mid-section guitar-led instrumental break that goes skywards in a blaze of burning guitar fuel, fuzz guitar energy, dramatic drum density and deep pummelling bass. The art of restraint and dynamic power in the hands of experts - quite awe-inspiring. The final song features another dub-ish intro, only this time harder and faster, with vocal there from the start, this time extra strong, as the song raidly flares into a psychedelic fireball then drops down a notch as a more atmospheric guitar break flows over the now deep and dark rhythm section, becoming another roar of a song set inthe band's own languid yet powerful framework,as the sparking guitar break is heard above rock solid crunching rhythms.
Who else other than a Dead Earnest promotion would let this band play for nearly an hour, and for the time to pass by as though it were half that - seriously amazing band!!
Not to be outdone, Fake played the best set I've heard from them to date. The opening track leapt into action with a ferocious metal roar as this immense mass of molten heavy metal, marches and stomps a path through the heart of the venue - hollered vocals fitting to perfection as it all powers on with the effect of an out of control musical juggernaut. As the second track begins to purch and pound in storm-force fashion, you realise that what makes this band so hot is the sheer immensity of sound from a trio. The guitar shreds and fuzzes like a demon while the bass rips your guts out as the drums rattle your skull. The vocal is strong, seemingly yelled and sung, not exactly the most tuneful of things but, buy, does it work!! The final part of the song is really heavy and dense as a red hot guitar solo simply adds to the adrenalised excitement as the whirlwind rages on. Track three revealed more clarily than intensity at the start, still huge sounding, only slower yet somehow even more powerful. Mighty metal density that rages and rocks with that ever present wall-to-wall intensity as the band delivers the song with the force of a charging rhino. They even manage to inject harmonies, briefly, into the fray, before it all explodes once more and a real electric rock fireball drives and burns. Once more, towards the end, a searing guitar solo blazes above the upfront bass thunder while the drums become the motor that keeps it all together - immense and immaculate!!
The final of the four lengthy tracks started with Hendrix-esque feedback that turns into a sizzling guitar howl as the bass hammers in, rumbling then thundering, and finally almost native-sounding, rock solid drums pound away, this solid, dramatic rhythm proving irresistible as the guitar unloeashes a driving set of staccato chords, the vocal soars overhead and the whole thing follows a blazing mid-paced path to metal glory. The spark then catches fire, the fuse sizzles, the flames become stronger as the band climbs higher, the presence of howling electric guitar above a rhythm section with purpose, direction and driving intensity, all combine to keep a lengthy final track as a meaty, mighty, metallic, mesmerising way to end one incendiary performance.
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