Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats Leave A Psyched Up First Avenue Crowd

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With the lead up to this show I was expecting fuzzy guitars, bass guitars with a bright attack, a battery of drums all encompassed by a creepy vibe of sorts.  Something which would conjure up memories of distant summer nights of blaring Kyuss and then fading into autumn’s chill accompanied by the horror soundtrack offered up by Sweden’s super group, Morte Macabre.

Demob Happy is on their second jaunt across the US for a proper tour. The Brighton, England based trio has been building up momentum with their run of recent shows.  They made the most of their allotted time slot and looks to have persuaded some First Avenue patrons into becoming new fans. The band’s drummer, Thomas Armstrong, was empathically wailing about his drum kit all through their set with an abundance of energy as his hair flailed about. Drummers with that sort of intensity are always a joy to watch and this was a memorable highlight to my evening.

Demob Happy already had a batch of fans in attendance but as the crowd started to thicken the bobbing heads in the audience began to increase as well. The growing crowd let out more cheers of approval as their 30 minute set progressed on and finally came to a conclusion. One Demob Happy enthusiast was all decked out in his new band tee and was ecstatic to see these English lads perform their songs in a loud and live setting. Another member of his group bestowed a gift of flowers to bassist and lead vocalist, Matthew Marcantonio. With gestures such as those the band can head home with a sense of accomplishment for a well performed tour that is aiding in their exposure to the US audience.

Come May they will be gracing our shores once again with their presence as they make a run of 9 more gigs that are currently on the books. Keep an eye out for that as the current dates that are setup appear to have room to squeeze a few more in there as well.

Misty clouds billowed out across the stage as the light kits pierced through the haze. The aroma of burning incense was slowly filling the air as a pair of glowing lit sticks had flanked either side of the stage adding to the mystic that was unflolding. An array of flowers were held captive by a vase that adorned the bass cabinet as if it were a headstone in a cemetery. The stage was set for Graveyard to appear from the shadows. The loud and thunderous grooves were slow and heavy at times and during others it picked up pace as the harmonized guitars became entwined with one another. The onslaught of pulsating lights diffused through the smoke that filled the air of the mainroom lasted for a good 75 minutes while the audience thoroughly enjoyed the music of this band from Gothenburg, Sweden.

The final half of this co-headling show was about to make their way to the stage.  This Cambridge, England 5 piece was all set to go and the dropped screen retracted above the crowd. At that moment the psychedelic visuals appeared behind the drum kit I knew this was going to be an exciting show. When a band puts up a visual display like that I’m always thrilled to see what they have in store for my eyes and how it will interact with what I’m hearing.

A circular light was cast as swirls of liquid spread across the screen in various colors. The band’s name was laid out in a blood red splattered font that evoked the vibe of vintage horror movies from the 70’s and 80’s. The video beneath band’s moniker would occasional transition to footage that was slowly swaying back and forth and induced the vantage point of someone staggering through the woods. An eerie vibe was set and it was the perfect match for the band’s sinister sound. The video played a myriad of other images that danced on the backdrop, it was an added bonus  through out their performance.  Countless heads were shaking to the grooves that this ensemble was producing.  The final song was announced and it played out to a conclusion that left the two guitarists facing each other as the keyboards provided a sonic spine to hold it all together.  There were thank yous and goodbyes as the crowd erupted with cheers for a splendid evening of doomy riffs.

Uncle Acid delivered on many of hopes for evening but especially on that retro cinematic vibe. They will be on my radar for their next excursion that brings them through the Twin Cities.  They only have three dates left on this tour of North America.  So if you’re able to get tickets and catch a show in Brooklyn, Montreal or Toronto it would be well advised.

 

 

 

 

 

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