THEE Oh Sees, recently changed unbeknownst to me to simply Oh Sees, aren’t ones for three-minute-long verse-chorus-verse songs.
The Californian psych-rock band are more of a 'three-minute intro-verse-chorus-verse-middle 8-verse-chorus-feedback outro' outfit – almost every song also including a ten-minute wig-out section somewhere in the middle.
You’d be hard pressed to find a song lasting less than five minutes on a set list from most of their shows and this was no different.
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With John Dwyer’s guitar seemingly doing about ten things at the same time and twin drummers in Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone playing flat out non-stop for more than and hour and a half, Oh Sees could probably have offset their own carbon footprint through sheer performative energy.
Careering through garage rock, psychedelic rock, noise rock and post punk, the band set off at lightning speed and didn’t pause for breath until Dwyer announced “This is your last chance to dance” before launching into a 15-minute acid trip of a closing number.
Particular note has to go to the extended version of The Dream, at least a quarter of an hour of ear-splitting feedback, occasional yelps from Dwyer and more than a few wayward beers.
This was the first time Oh Sees had played in the Welsh capital for six years. If they take another six years to perform there again, I think my hearing may just have recovered.
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