Author: Primož Novak
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Kranj / Transtation Squat / Slovenia
Concert date: 02.05.2015
Attendance: 120
Ticket price: €10.00
The English band Ozric Tentacles haven’t stopped since they formed in 1983. In that time, bandleader Ed Wynne has gone through a huge number of members, and the band has put out over 20 studio albums. Ozric Tentacles, or Ozrics for short, have never cared about trends. Their influences reach back to the seventies, when progressive, psychedelic and space rock were in full bloom. But Ozric Tentacles stretched that formula by bringing in electronics, which is the band’s trademark today.
It took a full 11 years for the band to come back to Slovenia. They last wowed the crowd at Metelkova in Ljubljana in 2004, when they were promoting the album Spyrals In Hyperspace. Bassist Brandi Wynne was already in the lineup back then, and she’s still with them today. This tour was also meant to promote the new album Technicians of the Sacred, which is due out shortly.
There was no getting away without support acts this time either. Israeli DJ Mantis Mash started warming up the still-empty hall. He’s been a familiar face to the band for a few years and has played before them on earlier occasions too. Even though there are a few similar bands to Ozric Tentacles (e.g. Hidria Spacefolk, Quantum Fantay), the band would rather give the nod to DJs who show up at all sorts of other electronic parties. It probably also says a lot that you’re more likely to spot the Ozrics themselves at some trance festival than a rock one.
Ozric Tentacles took the stage fairly late, but the crowd welcomed them warmly from the very first track. The band now performs as a quintet, with extra percussionist Paul Hankin joining them to push the rhythm side even further. Still, Hankin was more of a side factor than anything. The spotlight was on the oldest member, Ed Wynne, who handled guitar and keyboards. On guitar, Wynne leaned more on soloing, which was loud and at times downright crunchy. The solos were mostly backed by a wah wah pedal. The band looked relaxed on stage, and the current lineup is more than well in sync. On keyboards, besides Ed, there was Silas Wynne, Ed’s son, who together with Ed created an indescribable atmosphere and a journey through every strange sound imaginable. The rhythm section, made up of bassist Brandi Wynne, Ed’s wife, and drummer Balázs Szende, was punchy and tight. To make the atmosphere even more intense, various projections of the album covers played throughout.
Over a good two hours, the Ozrics strung together a nice number of tracks that more or less summed up their long career. They also played a few tracks from the first albums, from the days when samples didn’t yet play such an important role as later on. That’s where Ed Wynne showed he can come up with inventive riffs. There was of course a track or two from the upcoming album Technicians of the Sacred as well, which mainly proves that the Ozrics aren’t letting up. The two new tracks don’t bring anything new, though. Alongside the new stuff, the band played some of their staples. It kicked off with the opener Jurassic Shift, which flowed into Sploosh and Sniffing Dog. The band didn’t forget the newer tracks from the albums either, like Paper Monkeys and Yumyum Tree. But the old fans got their fill with Xingu, Coily, Eternal Wheel and the closer The Throbbe. Of course some other well-known track was missing, but with such a vast discography it’s hard to pick a best of their career.
As for the two new tracks they played, the band kept its unpredictability: a rhythmic twist here, a tempo change there, and plenty of psychedelic touches and all kinds of samples drawing on more electronic genres. Psytrance especially stood out here, lifting the wonder of Ozric Tentacles to a higher and maybe even slightly more complex level. It’s worth stressing above all that with their use of electronics, the Ozrics don’t work like cliché electronic acts who drag one beat out forever. With a sense for song structure and rhythmic twists, the Ozrics can make an electronic (sub)genre still very interesting.
There were a few flaws to be noticed, though. Silas Wynne occasionally only mimed his playing with his fingers in the air, as if he’d pressed a button to trigger a sample. Unfortunately, certain parts of the songs were simply handled by the backing track, which, despite an otherwise interesting show, isn’t convincing enough. Extra percussionist Paul Hankin was mixed poorly, and his parts were rarely audible. Which raises the question of whether Hankin is even needed. He’s a capable percussionist, sure, but the sound didn’t come across as any more polished with him. That was even more noticeable back when flutist John Egan was still playing with the band, though he hasn’t been with them for 10 years.
What undoubtedly kept the band on its feet was drummer Balázs Szende, who played the long repertoire with precision. In fact, it has to be said that live drums give the band a certain originality and authenticity, which gives the music some stability amid the flood of electronics.
Apart from the odd announcement, Ozric Tentacles didn’t talk much with the crowd. The band bets more on letting people simply give themselves over to the music. And the Ozrics undoubtedly pulled that off. Ozric Tentacles cast their spell with a long set, even if the band isn’t at the peak of its powers like it was more than a decade ago. In the end, you’ve got to admit that after three decades the Ozrics are still one of a kind and well worth seeing.
Setlist
1. Jurassic Shift
2. Sploosh!
3. Sniffing Dog
4. Changa Masala
5. Og-Ha-Be
6. Sultana Detrii
7. Mooncalf
8. Xingu
9. Lost in the Sky
10. Zenlike Creature
11. The Sacred Turf
12. Coily
13. Eternal Wheel
—encore—
14. The Throbbe
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