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In the subterranean gig parlour of The Shipping Forecast, The Wild Eyes’ set rumbles into life.
With an earth-shaking bass sound high in the mix, the trio sound remarkably full. In particularly sharp and aggressive sounding form this evening, garage/psych rock crossbreed ‘Sweet Teardrops’ tumbles from the amps, markedly more vicious than on record.
Unusually effusive between songs, lead singer Huw states “the other bands on the bill are quite forward looking, we’re the cavemen of the evening,” before launching into a primal thud that morphs beautifully into a mesmerizing rendition of ‘How Does it Feel (To Feel?)’ With the crowd increasing as the band progress, the trio lurch through bare-bones rock epiphanies like Link Wray spliced with The Stones’ mid sixties swagger.
Giving Huw the opportunity to indulge in several guitar wig-outs, bassist Neal underpins the riffs, whilst drummer Sam proceeds with the minimum amount of fuss, nailing the beat firmly to the floor. Concluding with ‘Kosmos’ the rhythm section providing the slow-burn lead in, the track opens up with the entrance of the guitar and softly-spoken vocal incantation. Building into a swirling psychedelic mass, the three band members seem far bigger than the sum of their parts, the vastness of the sound as though they have extra musicians hidden somewhere offstage.
The set concluded with another score of converts won over to the cause, The Wild Eyes’ journey to the furthest reaches of space-rock whilst mindfully keeping the tunes intact continues in stunning fashion.
Photography: Iwona Siestrzewitowska (www.mariehazelwood.tumblr.com)