Gig 17 of 2024 for me was back at the Voodoo Rooms with DJ Gez although in the side room this time which is quite a bit smaller than the ballroom, but no less enjoyable as it's an intimate space with the band only a few feet away from you no matter where you go.
Caught a few songs from the support band set (Soul Fur), who I still know as little about as beforehand, other than they looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as the crowd while playing a bunch of great tunes. I'll keep an eye out for their future gigs, worth watching.
Death Valley Girls almost sneaked onto the stage rather than arrive with any kind of big intro. They opened with a slow build in the first song Hypnagogia but once they got going, they burst into life, rocking the place with Islands In The Sky and Disaster in quick succession. Their set kept upping the pace with each song, and they manage to make their tunes contrast: heavy and upbeat at the same time, flitting between trippy psychedelic and a dark thundering wall of sound that hits you full on. All throughout they played full of energy and bopping to the tunes as much as we were. It might be a Californian thing, but they looked like the happiest, most smiley band I’ve seen play in a long time. Or it could’ve been the round of martini’s which one fan delivered to each of the band members in between songs mid-set. Chin-chin Girls! As DJ Gez added.
Unsurprisingly the volume and pace went up another gear after the drinks came and without drawing comparisons, at times I got bits of Siouxsie Sioux and Grace Slick from the powerful lead vocalist (who at one point was playing keyboard, guitar and singing at the same time!), bits of the Velvet Underground, Ramones, Spiritualized and even Beach Boys in and amongst their set. All great reference points in my book. A solid backbone of strong drumming, some of the most versatile and bass playing, and effortless excellent guitar work that wouldn’t have been out of place in the MC5 or Stooges was just a joy to listen to. Highlight for me wasn’t some of the Edinburgh Gigeratti ‘negotiating’ the length of the encore (note: the band settled on three songs and I don’t think anyone was disappointed with that) but the highlight being the excellent Magic Powers, which I was front and centre for – one of my favourite songs of the year so far and felt like it was being sung right at me. I know it wasn’t but such a good performance.
It was no surprise that the gig had sold out and hats off to Colin who set the show up bringing the band to Edinburgh, back for the first time in over five years (thank you Colin!) - hopefully they won’t wait that long to come back again. A few drinks after the show with some of the Edinburgh gig crowd and enlightening conversations about how people got into Indie music, silent film festivals and Indie music connections. As well as a shared appreciation for the magic powers of the Death Valley Girls. Chin-chin!
Brilliant gig