Psychlona/Flamebearer/Funeral Witch Blues

Psychlona Album Launch

The Black Heart, Camden

Review and Photos By Smudge Smith

Saturday 28th September 2024‘Mojo Rising’ landed in 2018 with a heavy thud in my inbox six years ago. Tonight, we celebrate the release of the Tonight, we celebrate the release of the bands fourth effort the superb ‘Warped Vision’ with a with the band starting a European tour for the next couple of weeks. Helping with this celebration were Bournemouth psych/blues trio Funeral Witch Blues and the thoroughly entertaining Flamebearer.

I got in just as Funeral Witch Blues were finishing their set, although we could hear them outside through the walls of the venue. They were rattling a solid stoner groove then singer/guitarist Rab McIlath took to a twelve-string acoustic and gave us some wonderful effects as the bass player blew his ‘gob iron’ on some dramatic psych blues.

Flamebearer stepped up next and proceeded to pound us with some raucous stoner/sludge. Singer Andy Valiant left it all out there, including his shirt and his dad dancing was a thing of beauty. Guitarist Alistair Riddell fired out some mammoth riffs which were mirrored by the mountainous bass of Dom Bailey. They gave us some mighty music with ‘Cross The Ocean’, ‘See The Light’ and the stomping ‘Don’t Think Your Life Away’.

Speaking with Psychlona earlier they are four of the most unassuming down to earth guys who have all been around the block a few times. They just play what comes naturally to them but what comes to them is unnatural. Opening with ‘Blast Off’ – a stoner/psych intro showed immediately what a great touch new guitarist Martin Wiseman has. They steered into ‘Down In The Valley’ seamlessly and laid down a hypnotic groove which singer/guitarist Phil Hey used his laid back delivery to soothe us with. ‘The Purple River’ was simple and joyful as it meandered around a Floydian flow and again Wiseman played some beautiful lines on the Gibson Firebird his father-in-law gave him. Just when you thought it was over they stamped on the gain pedal as drummer Scott rattled out a time change and they tore into a rapid magic carpet ride into a psych realm. We got the slow boogie of ‘Blow’ reminiscent of Quo’s golden oldie ‘In My Chair’ which got the heads nodding and the girls dancing. Scott’s swinging beat allowed bassman Isaak Buxton to lay down the biggest groove that literally shook the foundations. They came down on some more psych wonder before Scott smashed the living crap out of his kit and we were off again flying through the astral plane at warp speed. Incredible that this was the first time they had played the song live. It was equal parts Floyd/Wishbone Ash before Sabbath stuck the boot in. They oozed through ‘Let’s Go’, ‘Jasmine’ and the stunning ‘Magic Carpet’ before ‘Ride’ from the first album got the hips and groins moving on another hypnotic ride. The tribal rhythm of ‘Topanga’ brought its big sludgy riff and a bass line that literally pinned me against a wall. This was as simple as a nursery rhyme but heavy as fuck! ‘1975’ took us to the end of one of the best gigs I have had the pleasure to attend this year.

I literally do not have enough superlatives to tell just how good Psychlona are. Four unassuming friendly happy Yorkshiremen just doing what they love. No airs, no graces just roughly hewn riffs, subtle lines, grooves as thick as mince and a shed load of psych to take you away from your mundane lives. I literally flew home on a wave of euphoria and inner peace.