The team over at Pilot Promotions have certainly been productive over the last couple of years, putting on their regular shows supporting local talent at a nearby pub along with the successful multi-venue Icebreaker Festival, so it’s fair enough that tonight saw their own band headline the Wedgewood Rooms whilst still showcasing several other acts in the process.
Opening the evening were Aviv and the Eunuch Horn, who I unfortunately missed, but having seen Aviv’s other band Delux Flamingos at the aforementioned Icebreaker Festival earlier in the year at the smaller Edge of the Wedge it was good to hear she has since earnt a place on the bigger stage.
It was therefore down to El Capitan to start proceedings for yours truly, their indie-rock tunes coming across as very well-rehearsed and whilst the vocals and musicianship made for a fairly accessible end result it was the utilisation of some atmospheric piano that added that alternative dimension needed to make things a little more intriguing.
“Do you like Black Sabbath? Do you like naked women?” asked Morass of Molasses and with those two questions alone singer/guitarist Bones the Beard pretty much summed up what to expect. Churning out big evil riffs that would make Toni Iommi proud, the three piece from Reading had the crowd loving every minute with their sludgy blues infused stoner rock – it goes without saying that you can’t listen to music this heavy without appreciating Sabbath, which going on tonight’s performance the same could quite easily be said about Morass of Molasses.
It was going to be a hard act to follow, but Pilot Promotion regulars Foxer were up for the challenge and like El Capitan from earlier in the evening were a tight little outfit, there are times when it’s straight forward hard rock but this is off set with swapping between guitarist and bassist to take up lead vocals… the bass player making Foxer sound more like a Nick Oliveri era Queens of the Stone Age, whilst the main vocals a fairly standard 70’s influenced rock n roll.
Not only was it to be The Underground Pilots first time headlining the main stage at the Wedge but it was also to be their last show with Tyrone Drinkwater, so although there was a sense of occasion in the air to celebrate the guitarist before he takes off on his travels, when it came to the performance it was all about the band doing what they do best – some grunge tinted stoner rock.
There’s always a confidence about The Underground Pilots and whilst vocalist Dudley owned the stage he is however a man of few words, so when it came to announcing how much this evening’s performance meant to the band it was genuinely heartfelt.
With recent interviews hinting at the possibility of a slightly new direction following Tyrone’s departure there seemed to be a couple more slower moodier numbers than usual tonight, one of which verging on power ballad territory; but it was however the heavier tracks that show although exciting times await The Underground Pilots future when it comes to stoner rock Tyrone Drinkwater will be leaving a band who have certainly made their mark among a dedicated following.
