Amplifier

Cast in blue light and daubed in black, heavy-stomping Manchunians, Amplifier, look as though they’re suspended in divers’ suits underwater. They’re sussing the crowd and giving subtle nods amongst themselves, taking poise amongst the feedback in a soothing oceanic preamble. Then Matt Brobin takes to the drums and bangs out the opening thunderclaps of The Wave off their 2011 album The Octopus and the lights flash white. We’re in for some show, it seems.
The other members Sel Balamir (vocals, guitar), Steve Durose (guitar), and Alexander Redhead (bass) give a spirited introduction to what turns out to be a killer set featuring more songs off The Octopus and some more recent stuff off 2013’s Echo Street. Since then, they’ve dropped their latest piece of hard-hitting intrigue, Mystoria. She’s a rare beast that should be heard live. From the resonant intro, Magic Carpet, through to the psychedelic romp, ‘Black Rainbow’ and the philosophical ‘Cat’s Cradle’, these sound like Soundgarden on Quaaludes. Live, it probably evokes everything from deep-sea suspension, to mushroom picking at the Holy Mountain, to plumbing the fiery furnaces of purgatory, all with a no-bollocks nonchalance that is typical of Northerners.