One of those gigs you just fall into. Out for a wander and a couple of pints with mates after a long day in work and slowly dirt towards Liverpools Outpost venue. The thought of pizza was tempting me in but sat there with a beer in my hand and listening to the sound-checking bands in the back room and it became obvious I was staying.
The Bossmags are no strangers to these pages. Their larger than life musical escapades (known as gigs to the rest of the musical world) have featured here more than once. Their piratical flavoured visual and ska meets punk meets techno meets prog entire, festival in a band sound, is transfixing to hear and breathtaking to watch. There’s ne’er a dull moment as vocalist Bobby careens around the stage in a variety of masks and costumes. He’s ably supported by ace musicianship that shows flair and creativity and a singular devotion to producing danceable sounds.
The Bossmags, swashbuckling confidence, an ability to merge unlikely musical genres and produce something new and fascinating, musical skill to match all this, a real lot of flair and audiences dancing everywhere they play.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen One Eyed God (was it supporting Nik Turner?). Tonight this is the event to celebrate releasing their album entitled ‘A Land Fit for Heroes’. We’ll get around to reviewing the album another time but from what was on display tonight it is likely to be excellent.
There’s a hard edge to One Eyed God, the ska rhythms are sharp as a razor, the basslines are pummelling and the fervour of the band displays itself in a no compromise full on musical equivalent to a punch in the face. Their punkiness is tempered by an ability to throw prog moments out and vamp on a chord sequence for an extended length of time. They play for a brave more than an hour set but it doesn’t seem long.
Musically they veer from a Clash meets Levellers (especially the latter) and would seem a comfortable fit on any Hawkwind gig list and at moments strongly (especially the bass) remind me of Fantasy Shift era Here and Now. The plaintive horn sounds give them a Mad Caddy’s feel as does their relentless ska rhythms. The inclusion of various instruments from tin whistles to clarinets gives strength to the folky comparisons but they do add layers of great tunefulness and ability to suddenly blast out the full on rock guitar thing.
Words and Photos: Richie Yates, (Excellent) Album art by Donna Walsh
Links
One Eyed God
Website: http://www.oneeyedgod.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OneEyedGod.info
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/one_eyed_god
and camp: https://oneeyedgod.bandcamp.com
Bossmags
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bossmags
Web: https://themightybossmags.com/