BRANT BJORK TRIO & EARL OF HELL
A decent evening of heavy rocking but not quite as good as Pavlis hoped,
Waterfront)
Sometimes, I’ll go to a gig because I recognise a name without knowing much, if any, of their music. This it is that I find myself in the Waterfront Studio tonight for desert/stoner rock lifer Brant Bjork. Sometimes, such gigs, chosen on little more than a whim, are amazing, other times they are a complete disappointment. Tonight is very much not a disappointment but nor is it as brilliant as I had hoped.
First up are Edinburgh’s EARL OF HELL. Self-described fuzz-rockers, they list Nirvana and the Stooges (among others as influences. I have to say that I am not getting that. To my (much-abused) ears, Earl of Hell are early 70s heavy rock meeting NWOBHM with dashes of thrash and stoner thrown in. I have seen more bands playing this kinda stuff down the years than I care to remember. Earl of Hell are some distance from the best but they are also far from the worst, they get the crowd going and I enjoy them far more than I expected. Decent enough and, whilst I probably won’t actively seek them out, I won’t be disappointed if I see them again.
Although I have heard next to none of their stuff, my expectations are high for BRANT BJORK TRIO. I mean, Brant Bjork was a founder of Kyuss. Taking into account the CVs of bassist Mario Lalli and Mike Amster, the various band members have played with the likes of Fu Manchu, Mondo Generator, Vista Chino, Stöner, Fatso Jetson, Yawning Man, Nebula, Mondo Generator and Blaak Heat Shujaa. We are witnessing, if not royalty, then elder statesmen of the desert and stoner rock scenes.
Bjork looks like a refugee from Easy Rider. He is not a great singer but is an effective vocalist. His guitar work is great, if old school - guitar. Amster is phenomenal on drums. Not only can lay down a straight-ahead hard hitting best but there are plenty of frankly amazing fills. Looking more like a beat poet than a heavy rocker, Lalli’s playing style appears awkward and it is a bit weird seeing a tall man with big hands playing a short scale bass but the sound is absolutely spot on. Not unexpectedly, the music is heavy desert rock with groove. The trio are tight as hell but are also happy hitting some extended jams.
At times it is genuinely thrilling so why then is it not as brilliant as I hoped? Some of the jams are just a bit noodly for my tastes, a few of the songs go on just a bit too long and it gets a bit too samey. As always seems to be the case, I may be alone in my criticism: the audience is mostly restrained but quietly appreciative - it is, after all, a cold Tuesday night in a less than full Studio - but there is some enthusiastic head banging and at least one person goes all out with the grooving.
All in all, a decent evening if not as exceptional as I hoped.
