I
have only seen Brant Bjork perform once before and that was with
Vista Chino in Newcastle back in Nov 2013. I have witnessed Brant
Bjork the phenomenal and legendary drummer. Now it’s time to
experience – Brant Bjork, the Desert Rock/Stoner Rock legend and
solo artist playing a collection of his greatest hits and a few tunes
from his upcoming excellent new album – Black Flower Power – with
the Low Desert Punk Band.
Belgrave
Music Hall is a great venue as it has an intimate vibe where the
crowd feel very much part of the action. The acoustics and sound
system is excellent at this venue but more about that later. We had
two support bands opening for Brant Bjork and The Low Desert Punk
Band. Baba Naga and LTNT. This is the second time I have seen Baba
Naga in the space of less than 24 hours as I saw them supporting H A
R K and Ken Mode the night before at Sheffield South Sea Live. They
did perform a good set the night before but tonight they are
something else. Baba Naga’s sound is a weird psychedelic mix of
Stoner, Doom, Drone and Noise that makes for a very loud and hypnotic
experience as this hard-rocking trio slowly started to win some fans
in the audience tonight. If you’re a fan of OM and Hawkwind then
Baba Naga are a band to look out for within the UK Stoner Rock scene.
Up
next was LTNT – I did give these guys a couple of songs but they
weren’t for me. So I headed downstairs to the bar until Brant Bjork
And The Low Desert Punk band were ready to appear. Around 10:05pm, an
eager and excited audience were waiting for the arrival of one of
Desert Rock/Stoner Rock iconic performers of the last 23 years to
appear on stage. When Brant did appear he did not disappoint as he
blasted his way through a storming almost 90 minute set full packed
full of classic tunes and tracks from his upcoming new album –
Black Flower Power.
The
Low Desert Punk Band were immense from start to finish. The sound was
deafening at times with hazy Stoner/Desert rock riffs that had the
audience devouring every second of it. Brant was the consumate
performer with his killer vocals showing a loud fiery passion not
many of his peers can match. The Desert Rock/Stoner Rock vibe is in
full swing as The Low Desert Punk Band come out ready for action as
they blaze there way through tracks such as Low Desert Punk, Lazy
Bones, Too Many Chiefs.. Not Enough Indians, Controllers
Destroyed and the classic new Brant Bjork track – Stokely Up Now.
The
whole atmosphere was electric as the band and audience felt in tune
with one another through out the entire gig. Brant keeps
communication with the audience down to a minimum but when he does
speak he thanks the almost sell-out crowd for coming out to see him
on a Sunday night. We should be thanking him for putting on such a
fantastic show that proves why Brant Bjork is considered such a
pioneer within the Desert/Stoner Rock Scene.
The
Low Desert Punk Band have a real buzz about them. They played some
epic jams that had the audience captivated. It felt we were
transported to the Californian Hot Desert Sun as the music had a
timeless quality and aura to it. When Brant and the guys did leave
stage, they were given one heck of a reception, which they were truly
thankful for. Obviously, the band treated the audience to a
blistering encore where the guys played 73 and The Future Rock (We
Got It) that left the entire audience begging for more. Sadly, that
was it. 90 minutes of a brilliant gig that people will remember for a
long time to come.
If you missed this gig then you missed something
special here. Brant
Bjork and The Low Desert Punk Band was incredible. All you need to
know.
Thanks
to Andy and Mona at Napalm for arranging for ourselves to see this
gig. Black Flower Power will be available to buy from Napalm Records
on November 14th 2014. You
can read Marc's incredible review here
Word
by Steve Howe
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