Gig review, Holy Sons and Golden Void at The Rainbow, Digbeth 30th Jan 2016.

Down in to the cellar we descend, beneath the heart of Birmingham’s finest venue, The Rainbow. Tonight’s event brings together two contrasting acts, though they share a similar anchor with a love of the 70s most heady guitar music. Holy Sons are up first with Golden Void taking the headline slot. This is my first encounter with either act so I grab my ale in hand and eagerly await proceedings.

I am most familiar with the work of Emil Amos through outings with Om and Grails, but somehow entirely unfamiliar with his work in Holy Sons. Pre-gig investigations of their Thrill Jockey release ‘Fall of Man’ prepared me for a set of smoky, atmospheric, blues tinged and hazy tracks. However pleasant this would have been, in the flesh Holy Sons presented something more direct and perhaps more attention grabbing. Emil’s vocals had a great presence and displayed his impressive range and dynamics. His masterful bluesy guitar licks were crystal clear in the mix and varied from the fragile to the muscular. Just voice and guitar were spellbinding but when joined by his bandmates who add a frankly massive fuzzed up bass and similarly impressive drumming, the performance was elevated further, lifted beyond smoke and haze. Musically, the band clearly touch the same bases as fellow Thrill Jockey acts with whom I am more familiar, such as Arbouretum and Pontiak. I was also pleasantly reminded of Catherine Wheel at their most soulful but one cannot ignore the roots clearly extracting musical nutrients from 70s classic rock, such as Hendrix and Deep Purple. Between song banter only helped the set feel personal, intimate and earnestly spellbinding. I eagerly await the chance to see Holy Sons again.

Golden Void are again a new proposition for me so I did my homework by listening to their latest and second album ‘Berkana’. These creators of psychedelia infused proggy rock include members of Earthless and Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound. Taking to the stage they are immediately upbeat and playful, delivering their Sabbath and King Crimson sounding riffs with massive grins and gig sweat a plenty.

Undeniably enjoyable, their swirly driving fuzzy songs such as ‘Dervishing’ are infectious, though this reviewers attention was better held when left of centre time signatures and song structures were thrown in the mix on tracks like ‘Astral Plane’ . The organ tones delivered via the Nord keyboard added a delightful addition to the mix of highly melodic vocals and lead guitar underpinned by a solid bass and percussion. Again, delivered with an utter lack of pretension and an earnest joy, Golden Void closed the evening as a job well done.

Another cracking gig from the fellows at ‘Surprise You’re Dead Music’. Photos by Pete Green of https://www.thesleepingshaman.com