Camden Underworld, London.
9th October 2008.
For many people a Thursday night will forever be taken up by going to wanky artfag gallery openings in the east end in the search of a free beer – luckily for the rest of us there are other things to do. I’m not talking about celebrity x-factor or eastenders, but we have places to go, people to see. This was such a night, with stoner rockers Nebula playing in Camden why would you be stood on Brick Lane with yer plimsoles on and half a bagel hanging from yer cake hole?
As I arrive at the underworld a band is already taking to the stage. I swiftly grab a drink from the bar and proceed into the venue. The band in question is the support band Obiat. The room is filled with all the darkness you would expect from a doom band, and the sparsely populated room welcomed with a man dressed in a full black robe previously worn by Death himself. The music was powerful and was complemented by a vocalist using simple effects, such as a megaphone into a mic with delay. For me this band was only let down by the vibe the frontman gave out, and no audience participation left us feeling unwanted in a dark place with droning music.
The next support The Pilgrim Fathers were a stark contrast, hailing from the delights of the North, Doncaster to be precise, they kicked into their first song ‘Great North Road’ with enthusiasm only to be let down by a technical hitch late on in the song. Shelf, the singer, turned this problem into a pleasurable experience with some good Yorkshire sarcasm, and in no time the show was back on. The Pilgrim Fathers sound send you back to 70’s rock, the front man giving off an air of Zappa, with voice effects galore used well. So many times I have seen these effects boards trying to cover up a bad singer, but not this time. I guess this is why the band is supporting Nebula for the rest of the European tour.
On to the headline act, Nebula, LA stoner rock supremeo’s. This band really know what they are doing. They are super tight, I don’t know how they manage to write new songs they spend so much time on the road, but they do and the crowd, dense by now, are treated to songs both new and old. Their sound is crisp and lends itself to a live performance, the music is quite uplifting for Stoner Rock and always a pleasure to hear. Remember these guys have been doing this for some time and so their improvisation skills are superb making this a visual as well as audio feast.
After feasting in so many ways I was left fulfilled, supped the last of my Newquay Brown and ventured into the night. Rocking.
Kev Firth