FIREBIRD AND THE LYSERGICS
THE UNDERWORLD CAMDEN - 16/05/09
Saturday 16th May at the Underworld saw the excellent Rise Above Records promoting two of their hottest acts, Japan’s Church of Misery, and Bill Steer’s blues machine, Firebird. Sadly, one of those phone calls you never want at a gig came before I could see closers Church of Misery hit the stage, and I can only guess at their ability and popularity from the fact that at the merch stand they had a lone poster for sale, having been long since cleared out by fans earlier in the tour.
Openers for the night were the unsigned The Lysergics, and with one glimpse at the flower pattern shirts, and first pluck at the hollow bodied bass, the whole venue was transformed into a late 1960’s home of psychedelia. Dressed from the sixties, the three piece managed to invoke the spirit of the bygone era of swinging London. Long lingering instrumental breaks, with the guitar heavy on sustain and fuzz box effects, backed by a bassist who looked and played like the reincarnation of a young Jack Bruce and a solid drum sound had the audience, myself included, carried into outer space by tracks like ‘Milk Plus’, ‘Sun and the Moon’, and ‘1000 Words’. Simple spaced out lyrics took a back seat to the band’s playing, being back in the mix, and easily interchangeable with guitar and harmonica solos. If acid rock is your scene, The Lyrsergics are definitely an act to catch.
If The Lysergics managed to invoke the Sixties, Firebird moved the atmosphere forward a few years to the Seventies heyday of electric blues heroes. Parading onto the stage in bare feet and flares, the opening guitar blast of ‘Blue Flame’ had me transported into the world of heavy blues rock, an era of vinyl and lava lamps, where anybody who was anybody was introduced by Whispering Bob Harris on his legendary Old Grey Whistle Test. Bill Steer may be best known to the world of metal from his pioneering work with grindcore legends Carcass, but that buzz saw guitar sound was nowhere to be heard. Instead, it was blues rock all the way. In ‘Jack The Lad’, the guitars notes echo the vocals note for note over the verses, respectfully recalling the work of such legendary guitarists as Rory Gallagher and The Yardbirds. Drawing heavily from the recent album ‘Grand Union’, Firebird treated the audience to future classics including ‘Silent Stranger’ and the straight forward rock of ‘Wild Honey’. Thrown into the mix was ‘Fool For You’, a cover of easy listening favourite James Taylor turned into a stomping blues anthem, the laid back acoustic number now awash with swaggering guitar and stomping bass lines.
Throughout the set, what came across throughout was the absolute mastery of the form and energy of the band. Whilst Bill Steer was mainly static, tied to a mike stand for his soulful blues singing or scathing harmonica work, bassist Smok Smoczkiewicz was a constant blur of movement, parading from one side of the stage to another, driving the crowd on, his constantly stomping feet matching the kick drum of the massively tattooed sticks man Ludwig Witt.
With at least two other metal shows within a stones throw of The Underworld, Rise Above managed to pull in a near capacity audience for these cult acts in contrast to the sparse attendance of recent months for some long established headliners. Whether it is because of a resurgence in a fresh retro sound, or just the excellence of the playing that is drawing in the crowds, I can’t say. All I can say is I wish I’d managed to catch the last band, but even if I’d just seen Firebird on their own, I would have got my money’s worth.
Spenny Bullen
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