FRENCH psych rock power trio, Slift, made their Welsh debut when they brought their blistering sounds to Newport on Thursday night as part of their UK and European tour.

They put on a show of primal noise for over an hour to an impressive backdrop of kaleidoscopic visuals reminiscent of the interstellar Stargate sequence in Stanley Kubrick’s epic blockbuster 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The band are from Toulouse and, from the instant they hit the stage, they were on full throttle and never let up for one moment. They call to mind top US psych rockers Oh Sees and psychedelic rock from the 70s.

Lead singer and guitarist made liberal use of his wah wah and other effects pedals and delivered vocals so drenched in reverb that he could be singing anything and in any language.

Their songs stretch up to 10 minutes each, drawn out by wild improvisation. They’ve got a great sound but the songs are fairly indistinguishable and do tend to meld into one another.

There is very little nuance in the show as Slift have only have one gear - and that’s overdrive. They just ramp up the frenetic pace and stay there, with absolutely no let-up from their sonic attack.

But there is no doubting their musicianship. Their energetic bass player provides some great looping basslines and the drummer is a man metronome, keeping everything together with his mesmerising and pulverising beats.

Some committed individuals in the crowd wigged out and danced like dervishes, but the majority of us settled for the appreciative head nod.

At the close, the audience showed their appreciation with loud whistles and applause and Slift duly stayed for an encore, unleashing yet another extended jam. It’s a real tour de force.

By Graham Harris