First, a brief history lesson. About two years ago, Jason Pierce, songwriter and resident 'genius' behind Spiritualized decided, for reasons best known to himself, to sack his entire band. Understandably miffed at this unexpected redundancy, bassist Sean Cook, guitarist Mike Mooney, drummer Damon Reece and percussionist Johnny Mattock, sensational musicians to a man, did the sensible thing. They formed a new band.
And now Lupine Howl, the band nobody wanted, is scorching the earth with the sort of psychedelic punk rock Mr. Pierce couldn't imagine in his wildest dreams. Anyone who's seen this band in the last year (and let's face it, there's not exactly thousands of us) would back me up on this one; Lupine Howl are quite simply one of the greatest live bands you're ever likely to have the pleasure of experiencing.
From the moment they swagger on stage, Cook swigging from a bottle of Chardonnay and uniformed in regulation black leather jacket (natch), every set of eyes and ears has no option but to succumb to the sonic spectacle before them.
"When you know that you don't know," harmonise Cook and Mooney through the quiet/loud apocalypse of opener 'Sometimes', and from that suitably psychedelic opening things descend into an entirely new realm of acid rock. From the fearsome wah-wah workout of 'Sniff the Glue' through the Pink Floyd freak-out of 'Planet X', every tune the 'Howl play tonight takes the mind into areas other bands wouldn't contemplate reaching.
Not convinced? Try the funk extravaganza of 'Vaporizer', ending in Hendrix-style guitar mayhem. Or how about the Ramones vs. Syd Barrett punk rock of the awesome '125'? Finishing with the 100mph 'The Jam That Ate Itself' is rock and roll fury incarnate. Strobes are sparking epilepsy. Drum kits are tumbling. The sheer volume of the entire thing is causing headaches that won't shift for weeks.
Basically, I could write forever about how great this band is and what sensational musicians they all are but unless you've stood in front of them yourselves you're never going to believe me. Tonight Lupine Howl have made a lot of good bands look very ordinary. Jason Pierce is an idiot. This rocked.
