By Lisa Burke
October 1st 2015, Fonda Theatre, Hollywood CA: Last Thursday English doom/stoner/psychedelic rock group Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats, came into town to headline ‘The Night Creeper Tour’ based on the release of their latest album of the same title. This happened to be my third night in one week spent at one of the best music venues in Hollywood, The Fonda.
The crowd on this night was packed to maximum capacity in a way that without the use of the upstairs it was a bit uncomfortable as everyone crammed into the side alley to smoke their copious mood enhancers. Nonetheless, it was too great of a show to be bothered with these trifles. The openers for this tour were Estatic Vision, and Ruby The Hatchet, and all three bands were viewed under some of the best acid trip inspired lighting which was an appropriate enhancement to the vibe of this stoner, doom metal, psychedelic rock show.
Philadelphia’s recently formed heavy primal psychedelic rock band Ecstatic Vision was up first and the unique element here was the appropriately stylized use of the saxophone that they mixed with elements of trance in a primal way. The crowd seemed interested and although it’s not necessarily the type of groove I would have ventured out for specifically, I did find them highly interesting and a decent fit for an opener at this kind of a show.
Following this act was Ruby The Hatchet, a female-fronted doomy stoner rock band from New Jersey. They are definitely worthy of this spot on the bill, and a very compatible match to play with Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats as they created their own draw. They utilize their abundance of creativity to produce uniquely catchy riffs, and combine it with the feminine yet brave and echo-enhanced vocal melodies. As compared to other similar female-fronted bands such as Electric Citizen and Windhand I would put them second to the top of the list in favoritism.
Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats eased into their comfort zone after a couple of songs, and continued to daze the audience through the entire set. The new album maybe be a touch more monotonous in a general feel, yet it definitely includes great and interesting melodies with strong concepts. As for favorite songs played, ’13 Candles’ and ‘Crystal Spiders’ were huge hits for the audience that left a lingering good vibe of smoke over the room.
The first time I heard Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats, I of course compared it to Black Sabbath as it is obviously an influence, but to me I also hear a bit of The Beatles in their trippy lyrical stylings. Either way, they’ve definitely mastered this vintage sound, and even use vintage guitars to help enhance the concept. The new single release ‘Melody Lane’ from the new ‘The Night Creeper’ album was a sucess live as well. Having missed last year’s show at the Roxy, this was my first highly anticipated encounter with Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats as a live band, and I will state that I was definitely the opposite of disappointed. The entire show felt just like traveling endlessly on a colorful rollercoaster at a slow motion pace through your favorite dreamland. I will be supporting their new album with a purchase, and can’t wait till the next tour.
Set List:
01. Waiting for Blood
02. Mind Crawler
03. Murder Nights
04. Poison Apple
05. Death’s Door
06. 13 Candles
07. Pusher Man
08. I’ll Cut You Down
09. Crystal Spiders
10. Inside
11. Melody Lane
12. Withered Hand Of Evil