Of The I / esOterica / Gompa / Sedulus
4 September 2008
Storm, Leicester Square, London
Leicester Square nightclub Storm is not the type of place you would usually find RockersDigest hanging out, but neatly using the venue before the hordes of clubbers arrive, it is the current home of The Talent Scout’s showcase for unsigned and upcoming artists.
First up tonight was London based stoner doomsters Sedulus. Opener Dogfight clearly set out the band’s stall, carrying Sabbath heavy riffs which crashed down into a tripped out low end groove. Frontman Will Wichanski’s vocal was perfectly suited to ride on top of those gargantuan riffs, falling somewhere between the shoutier nature of Helmet’s Page Hamilton and the (slightly) more melodic Ben Ward of Orange Goblin.
Guitarist Richard Williams and Amit Patel looked half stoned, but more likely absorbed as their heads lulled around during a new song, which Wichanski couldn’t remember the name of. Actually on asking him his title afterwards he told us we could call it what we like and Johan opted for Pink Elephant.
Sedulus set list:
Dogfight / 0530 / New Song / Breaking Point
Oh dear, Gompa were not my thing at all and the more they played the more irritating they became. I wasn’t alone as the soundman was pretending to hang himself during a mauling of Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean. Imagine a three way pile up of System Of A Down, Blink 182 and Primus. No, actually it’s best not to.
The main reason for our presence tonight was to catch up with esOterica. As noted in my Bloodstock review, set overlaps meant I only caught three songs and had promised I’d make the effort to see them again. Less than three weeks later the opportunity arose and I was not disappointed.
Even before they launched into opener Samples, esOterica looked like they meant business. Frontman Toby Keast was pacing up and down and performing stretches like he was about to go into a boxing ring. By second song Life Is Lonely, Keast had warmed into his vocal and was skipping around the stage. Guitarists Matthew Diver and Bari Parrott kept to their respective sides leaving Keast and bassist Conor to claim the rest of the stage as their playground. It was only after the show that I discovered Conor is currently standing in for esOterica and he needs to be brought into the fold immediately. Aside from a great bass player his performance really adds to the live show and his antics rival Keast on occasion.
It’s the music that really seals the deal, with the majestic Salvation followed by Valium with its achingly beautiful first half giving way to a massive conclusion. Yes, Tool and A Perfect Circle can be raised as points of comparison with esOterica falling somewhere between the two. There’s no sprawled out progressive epics though, these are economical to the point songs packed with hooks. None more so than closer Don’t Rely On Anyone, for which Keast managed to get life out of the small reserved crowd.
esOterica set list:
Samples / Life Is Lonely / Salvation / Valium / Exposed / The Fool / Watch This Drive / Don’t Rely On Anyone
esOterica took the evening to another level and it was always going to be a difficult act for Of The I to follow. Whilst not to the same level, Of The I were intriguing and it was a bit annoying that the schedule was running over time with pre-fixed plans meaning we only caught a short portion of their set. The band’s material seemed more like a moving organism than actual songs. Highly trippy and at times with a rhythmic semi-dance ambiance, the band seemed absorbed in their sound rather than performing it to the crowd.
Of The I set list:
Single Units / Stopping The World / Modern Equivalent / Cold / Cathexis / Mercenary
LINKS:
The Talent Scout
Of The I
esOterica
Gompa
Sedulus |
