By Jim Rowland
Brit space-progsters Amplifier have been doing their thing for over 25 years now, and with their hugely impressive eighth album ‘Gargantuan’ released earlier this year, they are sporadically gigging across the country. Tonight sees them head down to the south coast for an intimate gig at Bournemouth’s cozy Bear Cave venue.
The Bear Cave is a small 150 capacity basement venue with a very decent sound system, and a healthy crowd is packed in tonight to welcome Amplifier. These days, Amplifier has reduced to just the duo of drummer Matt Brobin and guitarist/vocalist/electronics wizard Sel Balamir. The duo have really embraced the modern technology available these days to create a live sound that really is.. err.. gargantuan. Indeed Balamir looks like he’s at the helm of the Starship Enterprise such is the vast array of pedals, sequencers and gizmos surrounding him, and they’re used to great effect.
Fusing prog, psyche, space-rock, art-rock and alt-rock at a pretty substantial volume, Amplifier deliver a value-for-money set that exceeds the two-hour mark with hardly any breaks. With the set spanning several of the band’s back catalogue albums, the likes of the impressive opener ‘Extra Vehicular’, ‘Interstellar’ and ‘The Octopus’ weave through soundscapes of light and shade, at times delicate and at times intense, relentless and pummelling, aided in no small part by Matt Brobin’s impressive and complex drumming.
Amid the soaring sonic assault, there is plenty of room for some great vocal melody, exemplified on the outstanding ‘Blackhole’ from the latest album which gets a huge response from the crowd and is a real highlight.
Amplifier deliver a hugely impressive set. It’s clear these guys love what they do, they exude a real sense of enjoyment and the crowd here tonight clearly enjoy it too. If you’re an old fan, or like the heavier side of prog, psyche and space-rock, be sure to catch these guys when they next roll into your town. You will not be disappointed.
- Photos by Graham Wood.