The last of 4 UK dates for Kula Shaker after a 6 year hiatus, was a flurry of incense, kaleidoscopic visuals and overpoweringly psychedelic sounds. As per usual with 90s bands and London venues, The Roundhouse pooled together a wide variety of fans, all eagerly anticipating the long awaited return of the funkiest leaders of the psych revival.
Supporting Kula Shaker’s return to the public eye were Black Casino and The Ghost; a Lo-Fi band fronted by the intensely captivating Elisa Zoot. The red headed doyenne owned the stage, strutting and posing with every ounce of confidence: a vision of vivacity. Each musician (Ariel Lerner, Gary Kilminster, Phil Martini and Elisa Zoot) played expertly, bringing added grit and a seeming European sound to the already gritty streets of Camden. Their set was energetic and enthralling to say the least. This band is definitely one to look out for.
Kula Shaker opened their set with the instantly recognisable melody of The Sound Of Drums, which excited the audience immensely, causing every face to sing every word back to an eagerly awaiting Crispian Mills. The night continued in this way, building momentum, song by song, until a sudden, but perfectly timed, tone change. Sitar effects, wah pedals and strained vocals evanesced to be replaced by the soft subtlety of a stripped back version of 33 Crows (their latest single) and the beauty of a Shakespearean love song in the form of Ophelia. Spirits rose once more as Kula Shaker powered through more and more energy fuelled numbers, with a cover of the Joe South’s classic, Hush throwing the crowd into a frenzy of Ian Curtis-esque dance.
Their final song, Hey Dude, left the crowd restless and craving so much more. After the shortest break I've ever seen a band take, Kula Shaker were back, strutting their stuff to the devout fans. Closing the show with Govinda left the gig feeling like a spiritual awakening come cult gathering. All in all, every song was performed effortlessly and with as much vigour as the band’s early days back in 1995. Kula Shaker have formed their own niche: they have no need to fit into any specific genre and have an eclectic, yet prominent array of influences. From The Who to The Byrds, The Small Faces to Pink Floyd, every basis is covered by one band in a seemingly small repertoire. The music is, and always will be pure and gimmick free. This band truly feel everything they stand for and are as delighted as us by their return.
Written by Hannah Lee
Black Casino and the Ghost , hmmmmm - firstly they remind me of a group of kids in a music class in school that has been told to write a song where none seem to have an idea how to play an instrument and they picked someone who can't sing to be the vocalist, secondly they want to get in touch with Dignatas in Switzerland , their depressing I want to kill myself music would be perfect for their hold music , only reason Kula Shaker probably booked them is KS probably had a deal to get a percentage of the bar takings and they knew they would be up watching that shite , Eliza Zoot or whatever she calls herself needs to stop trying to be a Hayley Williams from Paramore wanabe in everyway and stop singing full stop , have heard cats wailing that sound better
ReplyDeleteI saw BCATG in Manchester. Fantastic live performance. Elisa Zoot is an amazing talent. The 2 albums I purchased are quite possibly the best 2 albums I've heard this decade they were best support I've seen and I've seen a lot, hope they come back up North for a full show
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