Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
May 24th 2016, The Echoplex, Los Angeles CA: Pioneering doom legends Pentagram have had a chequered career to say the least, and after a period of hiatus and uncertainty, their 2011 documentary ‘Last Days Here’ told the story of the band in a manner that introduced and endeared them to metal lovers that were unfamiliar with them. Interest in the band, from doom fans, promoters, booking agents and record labels alike, was renewed, and the ‘Last Rites’ album followed soon after the release of the documentary. Four years later, Pentagram put out their eighth studio album ‘Curious Volume’ via Peaceville Records in 2015, and following several one-off festival appearances over the years, in 2016 they are finally touring the States, much to the delight of their fans. Pentagram embarked on a two-week U.S. tour with support acts King Woman and Wax Idols on May 17th, and made their way to Los Angeles for a sold-out show at the Echoplex on Tuesday May 24th. The anticipation surrounding this gig was high, and considering that Pentagram’s live shows in the recent past have been known to be erratic, it remained to be seen which Pentagram would turn up on this occasion and whether they would live up to the hype.
Doors opened at 8 PM and the show began at 9, with Oakland/Los Angeles based quartet Wax Idols taking the stage for a set that was refreshingly different from the kind of bands that typically get to open for Pentagram. What could be described as a combination of new wave, goth, indie and dark pop, Wax Idols’ music came across as very stripped-down and dancy, led excellently by their frontwoman who alternated between being singer and singer/guitarist. It wasn’t metal by any means, but various aspects of it such as its darkness and energy enabled the band to relate to this audience, as many in attendance were seen getting their dancing shoes on and giving Wax Idols a generous response. The general reaction of the average attendee as he or she walked in to the show during this band’s set was that of surprise, but was followed by a slow nod of approval. Wax Idols certainly won some new fans with this performance and provided the perfect start to an evening which was about to get a lot heavier.
More Wax Idols photos:
San Francisco-based King Woman were up next, and despite being far doomier, more psych-driven and more straight up the alley for the typical Pentagram fan, their set wasn’t as impressive as Wax Idols’. The heavily fuzz-driven set meandered for the majority for its duration, but to their credit, King Woman did build things up to a good end, as a combination of strobe lighting and psychedelic musical passages finally succeeded in garnering applause from the audience. Not a bad appetizer for the main course to follow.
On a side note, both King Woman and Wax Idols dropped off the remainder of the tour immediately after this show, for reasons unexplained.
The atmosphere inside the Echoplex was gradually building, and with the show being sold out in advance, it was expected to be packed to capacity by the time Pentagram arrived on stage, which it definitely was, as there was no room to move even an inch from where you were standing. On top of that, mosh pits opened up and crowd surfers emerged at regular intervals during the Pentagram set, as complete delirium ensued. This was the liveliest crowd Pentagram has probably ever played to in Los Angeles. For a doom show, the energy level among these fans was pleasantly surprising, and that’s perhaps the difference between Pentagram and other doom bands. People get stoned and stand still to watch other bands, while the same people rage at a Pentagram show.
As is typically the case at this venue, the security staff did not interfere whatsoever and let people do whatever they wanted. The fragrance of cannabis was so strong that the second-hand high was strong enough to not need a first-hand toke, and the crowd-surfing, stage-diving chaos was so much that stage crew had to come forward and nudge divers back into the crowd. At one point, some guy bumped into guitarist Victor Griffin when he went up on stage, which angered Griffin so much that he kicked the life out of this guy. It was a brutal incident to witness, but other than that, Griffin, who has been in and out of this band, contributed only positively to this show, bringing a towering personality and effortless expertise on the six-stringed instrument. In bassist Greg Turley and drummer Pete Campbell, Pentagram have a skilled rhythm section. But all eyes and ears were on vocalist Bobby Liebling. The 62-year old portrayed the visual presence of an 80-year old but delivered the goods on vocals, and was as entertaining to watch as ever with his spastic movements and wild-eyed expressions. He did justice to the band’s assortment of old and new material through this set, and played a crucial role in making this a successful Los Angeles outing for Pentagram.
Bobby Liebling and Pentagram showed that they have what it takes to be deemed worthy of the big bucks, and vindicated the sellout status of this gig. Based on this performance, heavy music lovers across the board are strongly encouraged to catch Pentagram while they can, as it truly is a masterclass in classic doom.
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Remaining Tour Dates:
5/27 – San Francisco CA @ DNA Lounge
5/28 – San Jose CA @ The Ritz
