I have to say that I did have a troubling experience at the venue I was at. The club guard ended up carding me, as he should have cause it's his job. But as it turns out, my driver's license stating I was 24 years old just wasn't good enough. Asking me a barrage of questions (What's your Zodiac sign? When was this issued to you? When did you graduate high school? Have you had drugs or alcohol at all today?) I of course started getting flustered and unsettled. How could one not when they have a hulky figure staring them down. I ended up not getting a bracelet that allowed for alcohol consumption. I really wasn't gonna drink beer there anyway. I came for the band. Not to get drunk and wasted.
So let's dive into the actual concert experience.
Black Angels are apart of a recent revival of 60's psychadelia. Hailing from Austin, Texas, the band creates their own slab of psychadelic chaos. They've taken up the mantle of what 90's stoner/shoegazing bands like Spritualized & Spacemen 3 were doing. But with the Angels, there is a grungier, darker influence. From what I have heard, the haven't really played much of the material from their debut Passover on the last tour. Thankfully, they did a good amount in this concert as Passover is easily their strongest effort so far. Their sound is hypnotic. This band is definately drone rock influenced as it shows.
Now I haven't listened to Phosphene Dream (their latest) prior to the concert, but after what I heard them play, it prompted me to buy the vinyl. There will be a review on it's way.
In between bands my friend happen to spot the band Secret Colours in the crowd & we ended up watching the next band with them. Secret Colours are a Chicago based psychadelic rock band. Having first heard of them that night and after listening to their debut, it made a good enough impression on me to order the album off amazon. More on them soon.
Headlining was Black Mountain. This band has a distinct Black Sabbath influence. Stormy High off their 2008 album Into the Future alone proves this. One noteable thing about Angel & Mountain is how they basically release their albums in sync with each other. Directions to See A Ghost & Into the Future in 2008 and their latest albums, Phosphene Dream & Wilderness Heart which came out this year. Wilderness Heart may not be as consistent as Into the Future, but it does have its fair share of shining moments. They are definately one of those bands whose material is even stronger in a live setting. The rhythm section in particular is incredibly tight and allows the keyboardist to create musical passages ranging from menacing to mellow. Shades of Budgie and other 70's hard rock mixed in with some 60's psychadelia for good measure.
Overall it was an excellent experience minus the getting into the venue. It definately broadened my horizons even more in regards to those bands and that type of music.
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