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Review: Ozric Tentacles/Gong, Trinity
A proper ‘joint tour’ (geddit?) with two full sets, no support act and an extended trip’s worth of retina-frazzling psychedelic lighting, this great double-bill drew a sold-out crowd comprising hippies of all ages, from teens to wizened old geezers and witchy ladies.
Somebody has to go first of course, and tonight that somebody is the reinvigorated Gong. If there’s anyone here still expecting a romp through the early ’70s pothead pixie stuff, they’re about to be disappointed. The set is drawn almost entirely from the hard-driving psychedelia of 21st century releases Rejoice! I’m Dead! and The Universe Almost Collapses, with only Master Builder (dedicated to the late Nik Turner – “Rest in space, friend”) and a brief detour into Selene surviving from the Radio Gnome Invisible era.
The show starts with the enormous crash of a, you know, gong before Fabio Golfetti pitches up to play the glissando guitar intro to what’s becoming latterday Gong’s traditional opener, the epic Forever Reoccuring. While giving a very good impression of a chap who’s on a Syd Barrett level of expanded consciousness, frontman Kavus Torabi is clearly just high on life – otherwise he’d never be able to play that great guitar solo on Allen’s relentlessly jolly swansong, Rejoice! (“We’ll soon be free of these fleshy bodies,” Torabi assures us, like a rockin’ Jim Jones. “It’ll be just like taking off a tight old shoe.”) Freed from the confines of the cramped Thekla stage on which the band have performed previously, he also enjoys some shimmying.
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The ace rhythm section of bassist Dave Sturt and drummer Cheb Nettles are key to keeping the packed audience grooving, Torabi approvingly pointing out the ‘cauldrons of dancing witches’, while Ian East’s impressive sax extemporising provides a link back to the band’s jazzier excursions.
But just as you’re beginning to think the set is becoming awfully familiar and could do with the injection of some new material, Torabi reveals that that’s what they’ve been working on for this iteration’s upcoming third album and showcases a clutch of new compositions. The first of these is entitled Tiny Galaxies, which opens in mellow, flutey, old-school Gong style before giving way to the hard-edged psych that modern Gong trade in.
Saskia Maxwell also pitches up unexpectedly to contribute additional flute and floaty dancing. We’ll see more of her later. But after Insert Yr Own Prophecy, Gong are gone. Follow that.
Back in the early eighties, long before the ravey-davey thing happened, Somerset heroes the Ozric Tentacles could be relied upon to pitch up at any free festival going and did a roaring trade in self-produced cassette tapes of their cosmic hippy dance music. By the ’90s, the Ozrics were enjoying unexpected chart success with the Jurassic Shift album and even got on telly when they played the NME stage at Glastonbury. More recently, they’ve been on hiatus for the best part of a decade while founder Ed Wynne pursued his solo projects (which included a show supporting Gong at the Thekla back in 2019).
Now they’re back as a five-piece, including an inaudible percussionist tucked away at the rear of the stage. These days, the Ozrics are very much a family affair at their core, with Ed joined by his ex-wife Brandi on bass and son Silas Neptune on keyboards. Since their music has always been entirely instrumental and includes a fair bit of improvisation, titles can be difficult to pin down. But plenty of familiar themes reveal that they’re digging right back to those early days for the bulk of this set. “Brandi’s playing a lot better than she used to,” notes a muso chum. Indeed, that deep throbbing bass has always been key to their appeal and a clear sound tonight banishes memories of the occasionally thin and muddy mixes of yesteryear. It’s also a pleasure to hear Ed so clearly, as he’s an underappreciated guitarist whose work is so often swamped by all the electronica.
Saskia returns to contribute more flute and keyboards and the whole show feels like a belated hometown gig with a raucous audience very much onside. Close your eyes and we could all be back cavorting in a sunny field surrounded by malevolent cops in riot gear.
Read more: Metal & Prog Picks: November 2022
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