GAS GIANT and Magnified Eye - Studenterhuset, København 11/15/02
From Aural Innovations #22 (January 2003)
This was our first local concert in nearly one year. Our last concert in Denmark was Dec 2001, when we opened for Atomic Bitchwax. It was only my second concert with the band. This would be my 11th concert. Everyone was in very good spirits and happy to meet up with our friends in Magnified Eye from Århus. Ralph was worried there would not be so many people because Bad Afro was having a show at Stengade and a US rock band was playing at Loppen. We had our soundcheck around 7 and all went well. The band had turned down a little on the stage so Ralph did not have to make us deafening in the main room. This was some of the best sound we have ever had. We drank some beers, ate some food and they smoked a few joints but none too close to when we played. It was nice to see some of our friends and girlfriends there. I was surprised that more did not come though. Some of our new friends from the German tour with Colour Haze came up from south of Berlin for the show (Mühle and Gerard and his wife).
Magnified Eye started right about 11 and opened with Fuel To The Fire. They sounded good. I was a little disappointed that the harmonica player was not with them. Next up was No Big Deal from the Last Sun CD. The band are really into what they do and grab the audience well. Torben’s vocals are cool but not as powerful as on the CD. Transition, a new song was next. The Last Sun, probably my favorite song from their CD sounded great. Red followed and then another new song, called SoulFlame. The opening track from their CD, On the Edge Of A Stone was great. They played 4 more songs including Zero Gravity from their debut CD. The band will record a new CD in March 2003. A good rock and roll set. They remind me of the type of energy that Pawnshop had live but for me some how it was too much the same. Still fun.
Set List: Fuel to the Fire, No Big Deal, Transition, The Last Sun, Red, Soulflame, On the Edge of a Stone, Mountain, Dieselbreath, Speedwagonhippiechick, Zero Gravity
We did not start until about 12:15 and everyone was quite happy now. We opened with some spaced out sounds by me while Ralph brought down the FREE from the PA. The band joined the stage and we blasted right into Firetripper. This is a killer opening song. Starts with a very high peak and then into the fast riff and a cool spacey midsection and guitar solo. I had a great monitor sound but no effects unit tonight so it was a dry sound. Ralph had put some delay on the synth via the soundboard but it was not enough. Sit Down was played but no wah wah bass, as Thomas’s bass pedal has been at the shop for more than a year. Stefan played some unbelievable guitar! I don’t play on this song at all. Down the Highway was next and this song is not nearly as spaced out as it used to be years ago. Never Leave this WAY followed and this is turning out to be our most amazing number live with so much freedom in the structure. Stefan really plays unreal guitar. During the intro he pours his heart into it and then the ending you never know what is going to happen. Brilliant tonight. 15 minutes. Pure rock and roll. Orange Fender is next. We had not played this song live since the February German tour with Good Witch of the South. Dragon’s Cave, another new-old song is working great these days. This song is also on the new MANA CD.
The crowd favorite, Too Stoned is next and I play some spacey sounds to add to the atmosphere of the number. Phantom Tanker and Moonshake close the main set. Storm Of My Enemies, the other major jam song for us is totally amazing on this night with great jamming from all. Stefan and I trade some space sounds towards the end and the band brings it back up to a heavy ending with some ripping guitar and awesome drums interplay between Tommy and Jesper on the djembe. This was to be the last song but the band go for There’s One. This song is very up and down live. Sometimes it really works well and other times it does not. It is one of the best songs on the new CD but difficult to pull off live in the same way. The band comes back out to play Ride the Red Horse, a song we had not expected to play but the club had a lot of people and they were really into it tonight. The band was in a great mood and just wanted to play music. Ride The Red Horse is another of the heavy jam songs, sometimes 9 minutes sometimes 15! Very spaced out tonight. Tommy leaves the stage after this song but Stefan and Thomas and Jesper are still having a little jam. The drummer from Magnified Eye comes up and they go into a totally improvised heavy stoner groove for 5 minutes. Quite fun and everyone has had enough. We played our longest show ever, around 110 minutes. It was all recorded as well and sounds amazing.
Set List: Firetripper, Sit Down, Down the Highway, Never Leave this Way, Orange Fender, Dragon’s Cave, Too Stoned, Phantom Tanker, Moonshake, Storm of my Enemies>Space Jam, There’s One, Ride the Red Horse, Freak out heavy stoner groove (w/drummer from Magnified Eye)
Reviewed by Scott Heller