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Colour Haze Underworld, London, 05/12/2006

Mon 11th December 2006

Support from End of Level Boss, Dusteroid

tim among the missing

I am greeted tonight by the sight of an empty Underworld... a rainy Tuesday in Camden obviously not gonna equate to a rammed gig sadly tonight.

First on are Dusteroid who have lost their singer and now have the guitar player singing. They cope pretty well but I'm not really into what they do and my mind starts to wander. You can tell the guitarist is struggling a little with the playing and singing a little and their tunes lack any real bite. They end the set with a Kyuss cover and to be honest really shouldn't have bothered... I love Kyuss, but I don't need to hear these ruin a great song.

Next up are End of Level Boss. It's been too long - in the mean time since their last London show Jim has been replaced by Roland from Sloth. After a tentative start with 'Freak Waves' and 'Headonophobia...', 'Disjointhead' is played and this is where they kick in. Roland provides some nice subtle soloing during the jam part - his sound suites their style perfectly (probably more so than Jim in fact). Hair is suddenly flying from all four members as Elena and Roland thrash out and Harry's beautiful growl sweeps through the now slowly filling venue. After 'Mind Gap' a new song is aired called 'Selfish Negative Vibe Merchant' - this is my favourite song they play and has obviously been worked with Roland in mind as his guitar work is outstanding! Harry's vocals also seem stronger on this track than anything off the stunning album 'Prologue'. The set then closes with 'Vivid', an amazing psychedelic wig out with toy gun against guitar and a hail of feed back. An amazing set from one of the best bands of this style the UK has... its such a shame they hardly play in this country.

Lastly are Colour Haze from Germany who have been touring with End of Level Boss. Stood in front of a mass of large amps and cabs they crank out stoner rock jams. There's some superb guitar work and a tight and inventive drummer, while the vocals are sparse and to the point. The guitar solos maybe a little too long, reminding me a little of Brant Bjork's set here a few years ago. While not the biggest fan of the long jammed out songs of this genre I appreciate the playing and the skill of these guys. I just wish the songs where a bit shorter and had a bit more hook like End of Level Boss. Also they played for a good while and I got a bit bored. But they play so well and they are obviously hugely accomplished musicians that for fans of this style of music and fans of the band it must have been a real treat.

For my money End of Level Boss where the best band of the night, but that is probably because I was already a fan. But a good night out for a damp Tuesday in the shitehole that is Camden.

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