Live Review

 

John Tennis (B) / Spiritu (USA) / Pawnshop (NOR) / Dozer (SWE)

04/12/03

Sojo, Leuven

John Tennis (B)

The main reason for attending this evening in Sojo (a bit of a home front for half of the Belgian “stoner scene” and other heavily 70’s inspired heavy rock bands) was that I wanted to attend the gig of John Tennis (in which my friend Roel Paulussen, who is also the guitarist in our band, Mr. Mama, plays the guitar), for who this was to be the very last gig. Although they could be considered the mavericks of the evening (their sound is the least stoner-indebted of all the bands) they did fit in well, despite the fact that drummer Geert Vanloffelt played his very first (unrehearsed) gig with the band, replacing usual drummer Bart who was injured. Anyway, they performed well, played with loads of energy, and their crunching blend of classic stoner and elements from alternative rock was well received. It’s hard to be objective about it, but especially highlights such as bulldozer-grind of “Black Baby,” the speed-rock of “27 Days” and their led-heavy “Fat Boy” was met with a lot of enthusiastic reactions, so it was a great ending of a few years of dedication and rock ‘n roll. It’s just too bad this is Belgium: it kind of limits the opportunities you’ll get.

Spiritu (USA) / Pawnshop (NOR)

Anyway, the rest of the evening was enjoyable as well, with three bands that had been on the road with each other before (Spiritu and Dozer had done a small tour with Clutch and The Spiritual Beggars) and clearly intended to kick some Belgian asses. Spiritu, hailing from New Mexico, USA, spearheaded by ‘little-guy-with-big-voice’ Jadd (who’s also a founder of the Meteor City-label), delivered a hard-rocking blend of stoner elements, 70’s-rock and often surprisingly complex stuff that made them hard to categorize, but never got in the way of the flow. Also striking were the performances by the bass player, who did all kinds of weird stuff on his 6-string bass, and the inventive and hard-hitting drummer. Next up were Norwegian band Pawnshop, whom I had seen before at the same location, and who impressed me more the first time around. Their approach leans more toward traditional stoner rock, combined with the hot rod rock of Fu Manchu, especially because of the John Garcia-styled yelping of imposing-looking vocalist Kjell Undheim (flashy sunglasses, flamed boots, dreads, half an inch away from a pastiche), but somehow they never indulged in monotonous half-hour space-jams, relying on medium-length bursts of mind-numbing power, like “100% Mambo” and “Supersonic Device,” songs as wild as their titles suggest, with primal but powerful drumming, heavy rumbling bass and fierce guitar playing. Good, but not amazing, although anyone with even a remote interest in the genre should check out their album Aloha from Saturn (2000), which can easily compete with their American brethren’s releases.

Dozer (SWE)

I’d often heard about final band, Dozer from Sweden, who’d released a split album with John Garcia’s Unida project, and they’d made a name for themselves as a stoner band par excellence, one that played by the rules, but pulled it off with style. You bet they pulled it off! Easily the youngest looking band of the evening, the band didn’t look that impressive when they stepped on stage (compared to the previous acts), but, oh my, that changed a few songs into the set, as their music almost set the place on fire. The singer must be one of the most laconic people I ever saw on a stage, motionless and sweating beneath his cap, but the rest of the band, especially the sizeable guitar player, were rocking their butts off, churning out massive riffs and heaps of decibels. It’s always cool when a band exceeds your expectations and can keep it up for a set that long (they must’ve played at least an hour and a half) and keep the crowd yelling for more. So, for several reasons a successful evening. Lots of fun, lots of wild rock ‘n roll, dB’s and sideburns. Cheers, John Tennis.