Institute of Contemporary Arts

Black Angels / Sian Alice Group

Date: 15 May 2008

Jahan Nazeer 

So, the weather had failed us. Hoodie and jacket were back out of the wardrobe and the sunshine of the past few weeks seemed to have gone. Thankfully, the ICA music schedule was still as hot as ever with another fantastic line-up. Tonight, The Black Angels were swooping in from Austin, Texas supported by London's Sian Alice Group.

Having arrived a little early, I got a quick drink and a plate of chips at the bar and contemplated the evening's entertainment. The Black Angels have been getting some serious reviews both for their live shows and their recordings and I was looking forward to a seeing them, as I drowned my chips in salt. Reaching for the ketchup, I noticed that I had been standing next to our first act's lead vocalist, the very talented and extremely attractive Sian Ahern who was chilling with her friend at the bar. The Sian Alice Group are an interesting bunch. Their music has also had great reviews and, having seen them before in a much smaller venue, I was interested as to how they would sound on a larger stage.

Opening with an instrumental track, the gathering crowd were immediately responsive to the tone set. Dreamy layers of chords, building guitar phrases, trance-inducing percussion and an angel-like voice. Sian Alice Group took control of the atmosphere. The ICA seemed to slow down as each new layer further tapped into the subconscious, mesmerizing the crowd into a kind of hypnotic journeying. Breathy yet strong, Sian's soulful vocals soared over the sea of sound as she gradually loosened into the performance. Blurring the edges, the band raised the tempo and stomped towards darker territories. This is an act that is not afraid to let parts of the music ‘breathe' for a few bars indeed it seems to build a lot of atmosphere using this technique. How many tunes did they play? I've no idea. At the end of their set I felt like I'd been woken up from an inspiring dream.

The Black Angels were up next and took to the stage amid excited applause. Opening with heavy, bluesy guitar, thumping drums and rousing vocals, their set started with great energy. Driving and spinning, their material was full of psychedelic quirks and free-minded compositions along with some heavyweight lyrics. Echoing exclamations and flashing lights with almost eastern flavoured guitar drones, The Black Angels' sound was certainly a bit of a throw back to bands like The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd or, I thought, Cream. However, that is not to say that the band just retrace old, well trodden steps. Their material is fantastic, not one tune didn't get a cheer of approval when it started, and each dip and crescendo was followed closely by fans and first time listeners alike. Joined on stage, at one point, by a few members of the Sian Alice Group, the crowd were treated to a thorough performance. The set actually went on for more than an hour and a half with a long encore. Finishing to loud applause, the Black Angels left the stage. As the lights came on and I stumbled out of the main room, I felt dazed and vulnerable as if stepping off some kind of acid-tabbed carousel ride from which I would never feel quite the same. Far out dude! Check out their new album ‘Directions to See a Ghost' here .

 

 

 

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