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Review: Elder/Slomosa/Steak, Fleece
It’s a swift return to Bristol for Elder, who were last here just three months ago at the ArcTanGent festival. That didn’t stop this show selling out rapidly and presumably their relocation from Massachusetts to Berlin makes it a little easier to hop over the channel these days, post-Brexit touring nightmares permitting.
First up on this three band bill are Londoners Steak, who are lumbered with the ‘stoner band’ tag but have a great deal more to offer than fuzzy riffage. Indeed, their brand of dynamic hard rock is a great deal more palatable than much of the derivative music trading under the self-styled New Wave of Classic Rock banner, and has the potential to appeal to a wide audience. They’ve got a particularly excellent lead guitarist, whose flowing bluesy style is somewhat reminiscent of Bill Steer in Firebird/Gentleman’s Pistols mode. They also have a song titled Papa’s Special Custard, which seems a little Operation Yewtree but is probably quite innocent.
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Bergen isn’t noted for its sand dunes, but that hasn’t stopped Slomosa carving out a niche for themselves as Norway’s leading desert rock outfit. Regular touring, including local shows at Crofters Rights and supporting Stöner at the Thekla, has won a loyal audience for their crunchy, loud, groove-driven rock. They also feature that genre rarity: a lady bass player. A couple of numbers are introduced as being ‘punk rock songs’, but these are just stoner metal played slightly faster than the rest of their repertoire. Set closer Horses proves to be Slomosa’s real gem, expertly setting the stage for the headliners.
Elder have long since transcended the ‘stoner’ label, if they ever merited it in the first place. These days, they’re much more of a proggy proposition and something of a musos’ delight. The heavy riffage and thunderous drumming that get feet moving and heads banging are present and correct, but it’s the intricate interplay between the alternately wailing and chiming guitars of Nick DiSalvo and Mike Risberg that hold our attention. The addition of onstage keyboard and synthesiser player Fabien De Menou proves an inspired move, contributing additional layers to the band’s glorious soundscapes. Shame they don’t take the opportunity to get all kosmische on our asses with Sonntag, but maybe that’ll happen in time.
Elder’s songs tend to be so lengthy that they can’t cram more than a few of them in, even with a 90 minute headlining set. But they break out the longest ones from excellent new album Innate Passage (Catastasis, Merged in Dreams – Ne Plus Ultra), alongside plenty of crowd-pleasing oldies. Sanctuary and Gemini give way to full-on wig-outs, which are deliriously received by the rammed Fleece.
One suspects that they’ll be playing much bigger venues next time. News that Elder have just bagged the support slot with Tool in the enormodomes of North America next year certainly suggests they could be about to win a whole new audience.
Read more: Metal & Prog Picks: November 2023
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