Ufomammut - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds - October 2 2013 (Live Review)
Wednesday, 09 October 2013
Written by Ben Bland
One of the finest heavy bands on the planet in recent years, Italian trio Ufomammut have been ploughing their distinctive psych sludge furrow under the radar for a good few years, so it’s pleasing to see them on tour to celebrate all that they have accomplished thus far.
Last year’s ‘Oro’ double bill saw them adding to the progressive credentials they had already accumulated with the epic ‘Eve’ record, but this ‘Magickal Mastery’ tour is all about reminding fans that the band have been producing seriously good records for well over a decade, with a setlist drawing from their entire back catalogue.
Before that, local duo Sunwølf took the first bow of the evening with a set of their freeform drone. With some enjoyably lo-fi, grainy visuals to back them up, the drums/guitar pair eased gracefully through half an hour of quality atmospherics - if only it had been a little bit louder to drown out some of the chatting at the back.
Zolle received a more enthusiastic reception from the crowd, with their lively approach no doubt winning a fair few new fans. Theirs is a sound not unlike local Leeds act That Fucking Tank and, even if they lack their diversity and sheer sonic imagination, this Italian duo (again made up of drums and guitar) have some great riffs in their armoury. The Brudenell is always a haven for noise rock bands of any stripe and the cheers received the end of each song clearly made Zolle feel quite at home.
From the moment they took to the stage it was clear that Ufomammut needed little help to win over a slightly sparser than expected crowd (probably due to the fact that KEN Mode were also playing across town). The enormity of tracks like Superjunkhead, Oroborus and Sublime threatened to bulldoze the UK’s finest music venue into oblivion. It may be a cliché to say “they make a hell of a lot of noise for a three-piece” but Ufomammut really are up there on the Sleep stakes when it comes to battering an audience with glorious, heavy noise.
Not for a moment loosening their grip on the audience, with a setlist that could accurately be described as “hit after hit”, the hour long show was over in a flash, leaving ears in states of disrepair, and the Burley Park area in need of slight restructuring. Bravo!
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