Ever since I first heard The Karma Effect and reviewed their debut album, I have been waiting patiently to see them live. So when this three band extravaganza at THE GIFFARD ARMS Wolverhampton came up, I was well chuffed. Meeting friends on the car park and seeing more inside that had travelled from miles away, only cemented my thoughts, that this gig was going to be a bit special.
JUST A RIDE hail from Nottingham and have been labeled as the UK’s answer to The Stone Temple Pilots. Grunge and 90’s alternative rock is definitely their bag and the Seattle influences are evident from the start of their set. The four are led by Rod Henderson who holds his mic close and despite having little floor space, manages to zip around with enthusiasm. ‘Last Man Standing’ a release from last year, lets the drums of Alex Bailey take hold, backing up Rod’s vocals and the song has amazing strength. The guitar of Drew Lowe introduces ‘Who You Are’ with a mix of lowly chords that reverb around the room, superb notes from him throughout. This is a catchy number and so is ‘No Way Out’ which Rod gets us contributing to during the chorus. They end on a cover called ‘So Yeah’ from the French band Alter Apex, who are close friends and this is very ‘Velvet Revolver’ in style. You can find it on the ‘Just A Ride’ EP ‘Undercovers Vol 2’ it’s a captivating track and brought the house down, great finale. A band that are evolving into something unique, keep tabs on these fellas.
Find out more about JUST A RIDE – Facebook Website Instagram
SHAPE OF WATER bring a mass of intriguing equipment with them, not only a synth but a keyboard bass guitar and another type of synth on the drum kit. Yes, they are a techno/electronic band, in the same mould as ‘Muse’, but as their name suggests, water has no shape, so they vary their material in what they call ‘Genre-Fluid’. Two Italians from San Benedetto Del Tronto, frontman and bassist Rox Capriotti and guitarist Luca De Falco, moved to Manchester in 2015 and after a hiatus, covid and band breakups have re-emerged with this remarkable ‘music without boundaries’.
The Giffard falls quiet as the synthesiser emits the intro to ’Starchild’ and Rox simply says ’Hi’. His turquoise hair matching the bands logo on his necklace, the singer’s shrill voice is startling and we are immediately held captive. The nine songs on the set list are all from the last two albums, ‘Great Illusions’ and ‘Amor Fati’ and the air is awash with sounds of such imaginative diverseness. I am new to these guys, not having heard much of them before tonight, but for a while I was stood rigid, listening with everything else around me completely blocked out and I wasn’t the only one. ‘Falling’ is mellow and soothing, but rises in part with more high reaching vocals. ’Scar’ tempers down with words of heartache, while ‘Don’t Leave Me In The Dark’ has a hook, that sees us joining in with the title, so appealing. The synth is forefront on ’Still Karma’ rippling through the sound waves before the drum adds pressure. ‘The Snoot’ hits a groove and the trio turn the funk switch up, incredible vibes. On ‘Numbers’ again the electronics create the background, but this is a simply beautiful. They bow out with two from ‘Great Illusions’, the multi sided ‘MARS-X’ is a journey , with crashing chords and jumbled lyrics about the Red planet. While ‘The World Is Calling me’ bursts into being with words about falling bombs. Dramatic and spellbinding stuff.
A band that have had songs mixed by Sky Van Hoff ( Rammstein, Kreator) and have paired up with producer Paul Reeve ( Muse, Supergrass) in the past but have also released their version of Ultravox’s ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’ displays that ‘Shape Of Water’ are of three, possibly four dimensions.
SHAPE OF WATER – Facebook Twitter Instagram
THE KARMA EFFECT have driven all the way up from London to headline tonight. The five are squeezed on the stage, in front of a sizeable audience, maybe around 80, in the Giffard Arms and this reminds me of other bands notably ‘The Answer’. Reason being, The Karma Effect have the same presence on stage, are of the same genre and I first saw Cormac Neeson and his band standing shoulder to shoulder, on a small stage at The Iron Road in Evesham. The similarities will continue, there’s no denying it, this band have a destiny and it’s already started. As I mentioned earlier, this was a gig I wasn’t going to miss.
Henry Gottelier stands up front, in the most lush flares I’ve seen for a while. They do have this love of the trippy 60’s and 70’s, even the set list is printed in that block text from that era. Two off the debut album ‘Wrong Again’ and the ever so magnetic ‘Doubt She’s Coming Back’ get us smiling, nodding and singing. The band look so relaxed, the flowing rhythm of ‘Better Days’ is followed by ‘Mercy’ which hears Henry screaming while raising his Gibson Les Paul in the air. A newbie ‘All Night Long’ is well received before another that sticks to your skin ‘The River’ there are a few songs about meeting at the watery destination, but this one takes some beating.’Testify’ really crawls under you skin and the more bluesy tune brings rapture across the room. Watching the guys relatively close up, is a divine experience, they are so cool and the performance defies their youthfulness. Already preparing for a sophomore album release and appearing on a few festival bills this year, do give them a listen and make sure you’re down the front !
yasr_overall_rating
The Karma Effect are – Henry Gottelier (lead vocals and guitar). Robbie Blake (guitar). Seb Emmins (keyboards & vocals). Liam Quinn (bass). Ash Powell (drums & vocals)
Link to my Album Review THE KARMA EFFECT
Photo Credits – Neil Jackson of Flaming Pint & Anthony Bellamy
Special thanks to – Brett Hall , Pete Keevil , Katie Richardson & Sarah Furbey
