Scott Hepple and the Sun band are a psychedelic garage rock band from Newcastle who have just released their latest album `English Mustard`. They arrive in Brum to play with fellow Rise Above / Popclaw label artists in a kind of dual record release showcase. There`s certainly lots of energy and enthusiasm from this quartet as they share a high energy forty five minutes which moves from full on in your face blistering rock outs to more contemplative reflective musings. The out there new single `Sweet Sugar Sigh` gets an airing along with what I think was the more absorbed `Velvet Divorce`. Scott`s vocals at times are at the higher end of the scale as favoured by the Darkness`s Justin Hawkins. I really enjoyed the slightly doom tinged `Smoke and Frown` which for some reason reminded me of Steve Marriot and the Small Faces and again what I think was `The Gooseberry` a meditative slow burn. There was much to enjoy from Scott Hepple, Thomas Keith, Sophie Keith, and Luc Hindmarsh who make up the band. They`ve already supported the legendary Johnny Echols & Love so their stock seems to on the rise. If you can`t get to see this band live, i`m sure their `English Mustard` album will tide you over until they hit the road again.
The Crystal Teardrop took the forty five mile or hours journey down the M6 from the Potteries for what is their sixth date on an eight date tour this month in promotion of their recently released stunning debut album `…Is Forming`. Unless I got it wrong they kick the evening off with the fuzzy garage rock tinged `Running Out of Time` a standalone single from twelve months ago, which really sets a marker down for what`s to follow. The pounding `Through With You` always brings to mind Austin Powers for some reason but it`s the more considerate and reflective `Colours Changing` that sends me off into thoughts of my own. It`s always a danger that when you really love an album and then catch the band live it`s a bit of a “meh” experience but there`s no danger of that here tonight as Alexandra Rose, Leon Jones, Ed Quigley, Huw Woodward and Stuart Gray tucked away to one side share scorching versions of cuts from the latest release with an overwhelming force. Indeed Alexandra and I think it was Ed were jumping up and down in a kind of whirling dervish frenzied ritual with Alexandra brandishing what looked like a teardrop shaped guitar.
Although The Night Owl isn`t a venue I particularly like, the overhead screen showing clips of The Banana Splits, Betty Paige and old Batman clips with Adam West while the quintet performed were a perfect foil. The fifty minute set which included a fair proportion of the new release closed out with the wonderful instrumental title track `…Is Forming` a vintage sixties psychedelia trip that`s a blend of Jefferson Airplane and The Doors` `The End` but without the Lizard Kings vocals.
This feverish audience demanded an encore and if i`m honest I wasn`t sure what it was but it sounded like `I`m Rowed Out` a cover of The Eyes, a British psychedelic band that shone briefly in the mid-sixties and a track that sounds a little like the Who`s `I Can’t Explain`.
It`s Oxford and Falkirk next if you want to catch the band this month and if you can, I’d encourage you to do so, if not a copy of `…Is Forming` is a must have as Austin Powers would say `Yeah Baby Yeah!!`
