The Black Angels - ICA, London- 15/05/2008

With a name taken from the Velvet Underground song, The Black Angels certainly took us back to the 60’s with their own brand of psychedelic rock.

For the fifth date of their UK, tour The Black Angels played in a small room at the back of London’s ICA. Certainly a new gig experience for me!
Walking through an art gallery and then a restaurant before finding the dark gloomy room was something I hadn’t done at a rock gig before.

It was a sell out and the room was packed with mostly 40-somethings who’d come to reminisce listening to the 60’s rock. Checking out the band before their show, they were a five piece yet they came on as a quartet which caused a bit of confusion on my part until I later found out the fifth member is a projectionist….. yet there were no special effects!

Drummer Stephanie Bailey created an almost tribal drumbeat throwing herself at her drums, guitarist Christian Bland using a drone machine to make a very surreal, almost Jesus and Mary Chain style sound. Yet singer Alex Mass didn’t take part in any form of experimental music playing, as he headed the band with a hypnotically droning voice occasionally adding a few notes on keyboard or shaking a tambourine.

Despite Mass’ drone and the band’s infusion of sounds, it was possible to pick out a heavy influence of Joy Division.

The Black Angels have definitely found their own experimental style, and prove very fun to watch… though I’m not sure they’d be able to pull off the energy in their music at a larger venue.