Institute of Contemporary Arts

DAY NINE: Kula Shaker and Loney, Dear

Date: 2 August 2007

Kula Shaker. Photo: Mallinsons

A personal one for me (guest blogger - greetings) this whole Kula Shaker re-emergence. Just the name of the band whisks me back to halcyon post A-level anthem singing and the endless, endless sunshine and parties. So as you can imagine when newbies The View had to pull out and were replaced at the last with Crispian and his merry men I was jumping for joy. Say what you like about faux-psychedelia, back in the day (1996 to be precise - well not that precise, maybe it should be back in the year?) they had me and my friends jumping, singing, and generally being foolish. The soundtrack to our lives. Sad really, but what else was there? The Seahorses? Yeesh.

I do wish we had had Emil Svanängen though, otherwise known as Loney, Dear - joined by a band for live shows the Swedish singer/songwriter played his sweet harmonies to a small but appreciative audience, and quickly converted any uninitiates to his cause. What makes pleasurable listening on his studio albums becomes sublime when played live, great building, soaring instrumental and vocal flights carrying the audience ever higher.

Back to the shakey shakey - the evening's set list introduced us to new tracks from the forthcoming album Strange Folk, continuing the themic shift from Indian riffs to political commentary started on their Revenge of the King EP, a precursor to this year's come-back. Standout tracks Shower Your Love and Sound of Drums from their 2001 second album Peasants Pigs and Astronauts were delivered magnificently, but despite rousing renditions of debut album K's Hey Dude and Grateful When You're Dead/Johnny Was There, the night was stolen inevitably by Govinda in all its ancient Sanskrit glory - after all, the family that chants together... dammit, you think of a rhyme.

Alasdair MacGregor