Check out:
Dexter Jones Circus Orchestra (SWE)
Hypnos 69 (BE)
01/15/05
Sojo, Leuven
Rockin', groovin', jammin'
Even
though the last few Orange Factory-concerts at the Sojo weren't exactly
delivered by the most compromising bands out there (whether it's the psychedelic
jam-rock of Los Natas and Colour Haze, the doom-metal of Place of Skulls or
the ridiculously heavy sludge of spacedoom-sorcerers Ufomammut), there's sometimes
a band with a much lighter and accessible approach that fits in equally well.
Last year also brought us Orquesta del Desierto and Brant Bjork & the Bros,
for instance, and while Dexter Jones' Circus Orchestra might
lack the exotic flavour of the Desert Orchestra or the lazy pothead-groove
of BB & The Bros, it would've been a blast to see those three bands on the
same bill, as they all share a love for laidback seventies rock, melodies
reminiscent from a time when it actually mattered and yeah, that carefree
vibe that makes you proclaim their music is the summer soundtrack.
Even in January. Although the band seems centred around bass player/vocalist
Tia (the real Dexter Jones was only the manager of a previous band),
the "orchestra"-part is derived from the fact that the band played with no
less than FOUR guitarists, one of which occasionally switched to keyboards.
Still, despite all these strings and amplifiers, the band's music never descended
into a murky wall of sound. No plodding grooves and decibel-torture from these
guys, but finely crafted rock instead. 
There
are hints of 60's psychedelica, of '70's blues-rock and perhaps even of Southern-rock,
but essentially, this is a straightforward rock band with concise song structures
and choruses that are often catchy as hell. Initially, the band's sound didn't
live up to the striking image of 5 people standing in a row, but gradually
it became better, different players became discernible and everything started
to flow. Even though their website suggests they only played about two dozen
shows before they arrived at the Sojo, they already had the confidence (not
the self-satisfaction) that's required to charm a venue of acid rock buffs.
The band tore through most of their debut album, including the irresistible
single "The Losers Are Back in Town," the bluesy "Fools in the Band," the
fuzzy guitar blanket of "And God's Laughing," "Infected Grounds" with its
rumbling percussion, the playful "A Farewell to the Rotten Pack," and I could
go on and on. DJCO is a band that has a sound of their own, but also songs
that are strong enough to prevent the set from descending into monotony. The
band also played some new material ("We Don't Care" is one, if I remember
well) that sounded as good as the material from their debut. Dexter Jones'
Circus Orchestra is not the kind of band that'll give you the "WOW"-sensation,
because they probably sound too conventional for that, but the good thing
is that they do this traditional style of rock with intelligence, impressive
songwriting chops and a fresh approach that makes 'em instantly likeable.
If you appreciate a combination of warm guitar tones and appealing melodies
and are on the lookout for that "Hey, I didn't know they still made records
like this!"-feeling, you might like 'em plenty, just like me.
It felt good to see so many people had turned up to watch
Hypnos 69 deliver their first true headlining concert at
the Sojo. And of course, with three full-lengths and two ten inches out, it's
about time, too.
As far as the jam-based prog/stoner/psych-thing goes, this is as good as it
gets in our little country and with the release of their third (and best)
album, the expectations were certainly immensely high. Fortunately, these
guys have been around for a while (a decade, in fact), have dealt with their
share of the reality of being a rock 'n' roll band and gradually became a
live force that's stimulated by its own performances. With a determination
to once again prove their stature as retro-rockers par excellence,
they ascended the stage, only to step off of it two hours later, sweaty, worn-out
and revered by an audience that would eat of their hands if they'd gotten
the opportunity. While the focus lay on their recent offering, The Intrigue
of Perception, the band also revisited their other two albums. Even though
I stated that Intrigue is their best one yet (their most consistent,
best-sounding and original), the material from Timeline Traveller and
Promise of a New Moon surely didn't disappoint either. When the band
kicked off with "The Endless Void," I thought for a minute that the ceiling
was gonna come down, as their soundman intended to create the best combination
possible of loudness and clear sound for full impact. And indeed, songs like
"The Endless Void," which get their strength and dynamics from the alternation
of soft/loud parts should be turned up loud. Singer/guitar player Steve
jerked his guitar back and forth, squeezing out delirious riffs and solos,
drummer Dave and bass player Tom once again proved to be a combination of
power and precision, while sax/mellotron-player Steven Marx added his
impressive antics to the set and occasionally even stole the show by honking,
squeaking and blowing lines as mesmerizing as Steve's advanced guitar style.
After a hard-rocking start, the guys sought out an alternation of exciting
energy bursts and atmospherics. Of course, with the extended nature of many
of their songs, you weren't in for the immediate gratification of DJCO's set,
but it became clear very soon that most people in the audience knew exactly
what to expect and knew the songs by heart. Hypnos 69 have found their audience
and it seems to expand by each concert, which is promising. Anyway, another
highlight in the set was the hard-rockin' "Twisting the Knife," probably the
most traditional song on their latest album, but exactly the kind of stuff
that ensures the set doesn't lose its momentum if they'd decide to let the
muse of jammin' take over for a while. Even better was their cover of King
Crimson's awesome two-parted epic "Starless." 
While
Marx' mellotron-parts and Steve's almost unreal guitar tone managed to evoke
the atmosphere of the original's first half, the performances by the rhythm
section where equally amazing, certainly when the first part (with vocals)
transformed into the angular second part with its spastic bass lines, awkward
drum rhythms and increasingly seething guitar parts. It takes gusto and talent
to pull off something like this and I really wonder how many Belgian could
deliver a result with such a degree of credibility and magnitude. Pretty amazing.
The set then continued with Promise's highlight, "Burning Ambition,"
which perhaps would've been even more amazing if they'd cut down the
calm middle part a bit and let the scorching riff the songs begins and ends
with do the dirty work. Next up: the ferocious frenzy of "N.O. Mustang," and
"Third Nature" - simply the prettiest song they've ever come up with - which
guided them to the end of their set. The encore (well yeah, what else did
you think?) had the band turn op the intensity another notch, with an energetic
version of "Good Sinner - Bad Saint" (with funky guitar solo) and the massive
rumbling of "Voodoo Dancer," delivered at a crushing volume level. Because
I've seen this band play several performances over the past year, they didn't
really surprise me anymore, but in their case, that's a good thing. Hypnos
69 always delivers. They are extremely gifted musicians with a passion
for playing music and giving their 100% on stage. Again, their fondness of
epic lengths might some time getting used to, but if the audience on that
particular night freaked out en masse, it can't be that hard to get
into. They're more focused, confident, sharper and, yes, better than
ever and that implies their shows are as good as the retro-thing gets in Belgium.
Read album reviews of similar or related artists: Hypnos 69