Kuru + The Masters + Hybrasil + The Kundalinis - Messclean @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth. 17/02/06.

A good sized crowd have turned out to catch trio The Kundalinis, whose name invokes images of Kula Shaker and 60s throwbacks drowning in a sea of pyschedelia. In reality they combine funk and rock to varying degrees, some verging on commercial appeal but where they really hit the spot is when they go off on psychedelic tangents, flying off on big guitar riffs and soaring instrumentals accompanied by hypnotic beats. These heavier sections point the way forward as the lighter funk rock just pales in comparison and I can imagine then drifting off into the direction of the mighty Loop, all soundscapes and extended workouts; on a personal level a set that left me half cold and half gobsmacked.

Irish band Hybrasil turn out to be something of a revelation, the five piece delivering a quite spectacular mix of hooks, noise and beats.

From the bio on their website it would appear that they have a good deal of previous band experience and tonight it shows as they drown us in sugar coated pop hooks submerged beneath a flow of 80s inspired guitar noise that made the likes of My Bloody Valentine & The Jesus And Mary Chain spring to mind. Add into the mix some driving beats and bass and you have some fine foot stomping material that will no doubt reach a wider audience in the coming months. The keyboards are slightly lost tonight in the twin guitar attack, a shame as the recorded material features them quite prominently and adds a nice pop sheen to the tracks but this time they take a back seat.
Hybrasil are another of those bands that really deserve a bigger audience and unfortunately they suffer the recurring problem of being the outside band playing on a local bill and while they get a good response you feel that really they should have a mad little pit going in front of the stage but they plough on regardless and I for one thoroughly enjoyed their noise soaked pop and firmly recommend them to anyone with an interest in good indie music and if they don't get to play bigger gigs soon I shall be very surprised. All credit to the band for hanging around a while and especially drummer Neil and synth player Joe who stayed to the bitter end and forced themselves to do extra drinking at a local club with the Messclean mob; it was a pleasure gentlemen and I hope you got back to the hotel OK!

The Masters deliver their usual solid set of indie/rock/funk/ska and there lies the biggest problem, it always appears they are trying to cover too many bases. It does show that they are accomplished musicians and they are good at what they do but you always feel it lacks a focal point for the audience and that they are not going to attract any one type of fan which is OK if you like that general foot tapping experience while you down a pint but is hardly likely to inspire eternal devotion. And it does appear that people are generally drifting away during their set which is a shame for the last band who have ventured down from Essex.

Not that it appears to bother Kuru who take to the stage with a sparse remaining crowd to watch them and once again, another fine band that deserve a larger audience.

Kuru play epic alt.rock with hints of progressive mellowness and hardcore aggression, at times happy to slow things down and build the tension before unleashing powerful waves of heaviness but never straying far from a decent tune. Their man mountain of a frontman revealing a fine singing voice that can glide from gentle melodies to fierce metal attacks.

Whilst being a heavy band they shy away from becoming an out and out metal band and their strength lies in composing epic tracks that deliver melody with feeling, I guess they would appeal to those that like a sensitive side with their heaviness along the lines of Tool, Janes Addiction etc and while they are not quite at the same level as them yet I see no reason why they shouldn't blossom into a force to be reckoned with on the alt.rock scene. Shame on all the people who left early and missed some fine bands, hopefully this will soon be a thing of the past as Messclean up the publicity and try to make the locals realise that it is one of the few small venues in the town hosting regular gigs and needs their support on a weekly basis.