Wow it's so long since Mazzy Star played live that I don't think I was reviewing gigs the last time I saw them back in 1994. Finally they have a new album coming out sometime soonish and are back out on tour. We passed up the chance to see them play on the Saturday in Victoria Park as there a few bands less suited to being heard in daylight outdoors than Mazzy Star.
We got in while RICK TOMLINSON was playing as a solo guitarist. He performed an Indian raga type thing that he followed with a very slow building repetitive freak out thing that went on for about 15 minutes, only the last two of which were worth hearing. I'd have rather heard Ricky Tomlinson (from The Royle Family) than Rick!
Next on were French band UNISON who are two guitarists and a singer with what sounded like a drum machine bought second hand from the Sisters of Mercy. At times, their guitars sounded like bagpipes while the girl sang like Liz Frazer meets Jill Sobule but her words were so indistinct in the mix that I never knew what she was on about.
They seemed to be trying to sound lke a cross between Arson Garden and Miranda Sex Garden without really grasping how to get the atmospherics to work with them rather than against them. They ended up being a bit boring and we were waiting for them to end.
Then after what seemed like forever finally MAZZY STAR were on in their current line up that does obviously miss Will Glenn who was with them both times I have seen them before, but unfortunately he lost his battle with cancer a few years ago.
As you'd expect they play in the dark in front of a big screen backdrop that has visuals on it throughout the set and of course both David Roback and Keith Mitchell keep their sunglasses on all night in the dark! They open with their brilliant cover of Blue Flower, the old Dagmar Krause/Slapp Happy classic and they sound exactly like they always have as the best most enigmatic chilled out, Red wine and candles psychedelic band on the planet.
Soon enough Hope Sandoval was standing side on to her microphone singing Disappear with all of her fabulous longuers imparting meaning into every note and syllable while the guitars built and made it sound fantastic. Ghost on The Highway had ghostlike visuals and crashing water as David Roback wrung the notes out of his guitar while being almost immobile, but then that's why they had the visuals so we could concentrate on being transported by the music into a wonderful word of love and hugs with our partners.
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Halah still sounds fantastic and I believe Hope may even have managed to whisper a thank you to us before she sang it. This is the sort of enigmatic band that barely look at the audience let alone interact with them. But then it's Still Cold and always will be in theit world: it sounded awesome and very floaty but one of the high spots for me was a brilliant version of She Hangs Brightly.
Look Down From The Bridge had us staring at more water that was crashing in as were the guitars and the shimmering keyboards were washing over us before Hope was singing about her Spoon and we were hoping it wasn't being used for nefarious purposes but kind of know it will be.
Fade Into You got one of the biggest roars of the night and still sounds fantastically sad, poignant and full of love at the same time. It's a brilliant song and great to hear it played live again. Lay myself Down has the sort of feel that makes you want to drink yet more red wine and lay down with the one you love, which is of course the best best use of all of Mazzy Star's records. They finished the set with Flying Low which was the last thing anyone here was doing as it was just rich and great and built to a close with a great harmonica solo from Hope.
They then left with some of the ambient inbetween song music playing that we had to cheer over to get them back for a well deserved encore. That began with I've Been Let Down which of course we hadn't. It sounded great and they just nailed it like the rest of the set before closing with a brilliant version of So Tonight That I might See. After the vocals had finished, it built and built to a shimmering climax and they were gone.
I'm sorry I can't say who else was in the band along with David Roback, Keith Mitchell and Hope Sandoval but they are too enigmatic for band intros or a website with current band info on it. If they come anywhere near you grab your partner and go see Mazzy Star: it's great to have them back on tour again.
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