Review & photo by Andrew Bansal
February 6th 2015, Five Star Bar, Los Angeles CA: Purveyors of their self-christened brand of party wizard doom, Portland, Oregon-based trio Blackwitch Pudding set out on a four-week US headline tour and arrived in Los Angeles towards the end of this run, to play a gig put together by Thee Static Age and featuring local support from Yidhra, Colombian Necktie, Battery Axe and Blackleg. Blackwitch Pudding is a band I familiarized myself with only recently, and aside from their instant classic band name, there was something about their approach and theme, as evident on their most recent release ‘Covered In Pudding: Vol 1’, that drew me towards this gig, and the prospect of a somewhat theatrical live show heightened the anticipation further.
Blackleg started the show at 8:30 with a very fine set of extreme metal, and aside from a 10-minute delay mid-set to replace the guitar amp because of technical issues with their regular one, they did everything right and got a deservedly excellent response from the crowd. Battery Axe, on the other hand, although not bad, just did not seem like the right fit for this show. Their two-piece death/thrash would have been far better suited to the Unpure show that took place at the same venue a few fays prior. Colombian Necktie have a reputation of putting on fierce live shows, and that was to be expected of them here as well, even though I’d never had a chance to see them before. They were not disappointing in the least bit, and deemed themselves as one of the essential live bands coming out of the LA metal community. And as for main support act Yidhra, in comparison to the last time I saw them at Complex in Glendale sometime in 2014, their performance was far more intense yet fine-tuned on this occasion and heads in the crowd, most of whom had now moved up to near the stage, started banging automatically and Yidhra’s stoner metal was providing the ideal soundtrack for an enjoyably low-key Friday night at the LA metal underground faithful’s favorite dive. Among LA bands, Yidhra is possibly the easiest band to like. With all that being said and done, the stage was clear for the headline act.
The wizards of Blackwitch Pudding came out in their grand hooded robes, and brought their own production consisting of stage lights and a fog machine which was placed in such a way that the clouds of smoke appeared to be rising from drummer Wizard Wizard’s butt. Musically, they made an impact immediately with their delightfully fuzzed out and straightforward heavy jams, and the visual aspect only made it further enjoyable. Guitarist/vocalist Space Wizard’s crowd banter was also entertaining and well-placed. All three members contributed vocals while maintaining command over their respective instruments, combining to make a delicious sonic pudding of epic proportions.
The sheer endlessness of undeniable musical talent coming out of the murky depths of Portland never ceases to amaze, and Blackwitch Pudding are yet another group to emerge out of that great scene as an act that offers things unique and familiar in equal measure.
Related: Wizards Of Fuzz – An Interview With Blackwitch Pudding
Check out full video footage of the show on Arturo Gallegos’ YouTube channel here.