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Elephant Stone, roughly three parts concise pop songs, one part extended astral voyages, were able to handle both strands of their sound with aplomb at Kaleidoscope Part 2 at The Kazimier.
Their material veering between three-minute melody drenched pop songs and longer mantric psychedelic grooves, at times evoked evergreen indie popsters Teenage Fanclub in their group’s shorter tracks.
The audience were treated to leader Rishi Dhir’s multi-instrumental abilites, switching between bass, guitar and sitar played by the frontman sat cross-legged on a raised platform, eyes shut intently, lost in the music.
Recalling vintage footage of George Harrison and Ravi Shankar playing ragas in the sixties, Dhir’s sitar-playing session work for The Brian Jonestown Massacre amongst other has seen him win plaudits away from the band.
An impressive feat in itself being able to bring the instrument across the Atlantic in one piece, parts of the band’s set saw them cast as Transatlantic counterparts to Cornershop in their deft weaving of indie rock and elements of traditional Indian music.
Set highlight Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin was complemented by concluding wig-out, the lengthy, mesmeric The Sea of Mind, almost breaking the ten minute barrier.
The A and B-sides of the group’s recent 45, the tracks showcased the band’s ethos perfectly.
Lucky Beaches on before them were in rambunctious form, debuting three new songs that easily maintained the quality of their growing catalogue.
Circles (In My Mind)’s bludgeoning unison guitar riff worked its magic highly effectively, while a stripped-down, rearranged version of Jenny Mo’ proved how easily the band’s songs stand up to reinvention.
Grand Lunar on first turned in a confident display for debutants, their gliding compositions recalling early Spiritualized and Sigur Ros as their set seeped from the speakers.
By the Sea concluding the evening were unfortunately let down by a dodgy sound mix that rendered their three-guitar string section only fleetingly audible at times.
The six-piece have material more than strong enough to withstand sonic glitches however, as new single Waltz Away cut through like peak-period Echo and the Bunnymen.
Photos by Marie Hazelwood