AMPLIFIER | livemusic.fm

What could be a better way to spend a Friday evening than being lifted off into Space by a band touted to be taking psychedelic and atmospheric rock to new heights?

Amplifier took the stage after Belfast blokes Mojo Fury warmed up the crowd with music that can’t just be typecast as alt-rock. Including Nintendo-esque organ synths as well as heavy reverb guitars, Mojo Fury were happy to play to the space rock crowd. A looped synthesiser framed song called We Should Just Run Away and the anthemic To Comprehend ended their set; Groovy bass-driven songs that didn’t sound as dark as one would have imagined.

They clearly left the dark matter to be Amplifier’s prerogative. The best surprise (to all those who hadn’t read the band’s newsfeed recently) was the addition of Oceansize guitarist Steve Durose to the touring lineup. Having recently disbanded from the progressive rock pioneers, Durose was asked to join the band for the The Octopus tour by the fellow Mancunian rockers.

Despite being off with sound problems and timing (although only a couple of times), the band seemed to have established a great chemistry with Durose. They opened with the metaphoric ending to The Octopus, Forever and More, and quickly moving on to Motorhead from the ‘early days’. This definitely set the tone, because the rest of hour-and-a-half set was a trip including songs old and new.

Right through songs such as The Wave, Interglacial Spell and (later on) White Horses at Sea, you could hear a perfect combination of psychedelic, flanger/phaser driven movements and arena rock crescendos. Sel Balamir handled guitar and vocal duties as though they were two different personalities he would switch in and out of. It was most interesting to see him dancing around to switch effects on his massive pedal board. Durose, probably now used to the soundscapes the band transmits, was on his level nine as well.

With drumming that other band members had trouble picking up to (that explains the couple of errors I had mentioned earlier), Matt Brobin had his fun. Through the bass lead to the title track The Octopus and his backing vocals on The Sick Rose as well as refrains of “Is there anybody out there?” In Strange Seas of Thought, Neil Mahony proved why he was vital to the bands efforts. Mahony proclaimed (and the band agreed) that it was “the best night of the tour.”

Balamir chimed in, adding that it was the “best Christmas gift”, evoking an audible expression of sweetness from the audience. The band went on to songs such as Golden Ratio and Interstellar, which contains a lyrical homage to their influencers Pink Floyd – the song ended with Balamir echoing “set controls for the heart of the sun.”

They have never shied away from comparisons to artists like Tool, Porcupine Tree and Alice in Chains, and the song to end the night – UFO’s – perfectly demonstrated that a band can play an original song inspired so much from famous bands and yet not have anyone malign them to be rip-offs.

And when the crowd couldn’t stop cheering, the band performed an encore with the eight minute epic Airborne – taking the crowd with them to a strange new place all over again, ending in a sea of fuzz and drone. Which is how one expects every psychedelic band to bow out.

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Words - Anurag Tagat