The Warlocks Take On London Weather
The Warlocks are a pretty stable live act in that you always know what you’ll get from them, and if swaggering psychedelic rock is what you like, then they’re bound to deliver. They start off with a relatively small crowd on the Main Stage today, perhaps due to the fact that rain keeps appearing and disappearing so there are only around 50 hardy souls still enjoying picnics, or waiting for the band. The Warlocks are certainly not to everyone’s taste, especially as the previous act was the sweet Polly Scattergood. There’s certainly not much resemblance between the two, except for the neon face paints that The Warlocks are sporting today, which could almost have been stolen from Polly’s fantasy make-up box in an alternative reality. A reasonable crowd does build up through the set and there are pockets of dancing throughout the set.
The set kicks off with some brooding drone rock with the band’s 4 guitar/bassists lined up like artillery, delivering a spellbinding attack on the unexpecting audience. Mellow tunes such as ‘So Paranoid’ also go down well and contribute to the summery feel as new songs mix with older tunes like ‘Shake The Dope Out’. ‘Midnight Sun’ is a high point, although some sun would be great at this point as the drizzle begins to set in. The song features the band’s usual bold and thick rhythm section and general doomy rapture; that may be a contradiction in terms but The Warlocks’ sound is one of elation that’s weighed down with heavy rhythm and firmly locked down to earth, The band’s exuberant energy makes this a great set, even if the audience could be larger; this may be partially down to the fact that A Place To Bury Strangers were due to play the Second Stage at the same time, or the fact that The Warlocks are onstage earlier than their official stage time.