Samsara Blues Experiment at the Craufurd Arms I went to a gig last Wednesday night (17th June) at the Craufurd Arms in Wolverton, Milton Keynes. On the undercard was “Mother Corona” and headlining “Samsara Blues Experiment”. Each band gets its own write up.
Prior to the gig, I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Samsara Blues Experiment but, at the point of booking the tickets, Hughesy (my gig-going, beer-drinking, burger-eating, ex-work pal) recognised the name immediately and proceeded to state – and this is verbatim - “Oooh - they are bloody good!”
And it turned out he was right.
SBE took the stage after the obligatory sound check and played the following:
Now you might be thinking that five songs for the headlining act doesn’t seem like a lot but, and I kid you not, each tune lasted between 10 and 15 minutes.
SBE is a German outfit, it has three members and all are properly accomplished musicians. The band’s sound is complex and travels through Hendrix type blues to spacey, psychedelic, prog-rock via chugging, stoner metal. The songs are typically multi-movement pieces with changes of tempo and style during them. The vocals are minimal and so the music does the talking.
In terms of the listening experience, the analogy I’d draw is that SBE has an impact not unlike Pink Floyd (genre aside). SBE creates music for one to immerse oneself in, it is genuinely intense - I found myself concentrating so much that by the end of the set, I was actually tired.
Regarding the end; there was an odd moment when the audience expected an encore that didn’t materialise. There weren’t many people in the hall (perhaps 30-40 souls – it was a mid-week gig in Wolverton, the attendance no reflection on the quality of the bands); maybe there wasn’t enough noise generated to inspire the band to play more, or maybe there was never any intention to play another song and the Craufurd sound guys were just slow to turn the lights on and cue the “exit” music (maybe they were just overwhelmed by the intensity of the experience and needed time to re-adjust).
The final number “Don’t Belong” impressed me so much that at the end of SBE’s set (and when the lights were on), I asked the bass player what the name of the song was and what album it appeared on. I subsequently purchased “Waiting for the Flood” before heading for home.
That four track album was/is so good that I have since ordered, “Revelation & Mystery” and “Long Distance Trip”. During the process of ordering the extra CDs, I exchanged emails with Chris Peters, the vocalist/guitarist. He was kind enough to send me on the set-list from the gig.
For the record, Samsara Blues Experiment is an excellent band, if you have the opportunity to get to a gig, I would wholeheartedly recommend it. I’ll be paying attention to shows in the UK and will try my best to see this group again.
Mother Corona at the Craufurd Arms
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Prior to the gig, I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Samsara Blues Experiment but, at the point of booking the tickets, Hughesy (my gig-going, beer-drinking, burger-eating, ex-work pal) recognised the name immediately and proceeded to state – and this is verbatim - “Oooh - they are bloody good!”
And it turned out he was right.
SBE took the stage after the obligatory sound check and played the following:
- Singata
- Into the black
- Centre of the sun
- Vipassana
- Don’t belong
Now you might be thinking that five songs for the headlining act doesn’t seem like a lot but, and I kid you not, each tune lasted between 10 and 15 minutes.
SBE is a German outfit, it has three members and all are properly accomplished musicians. The band’s sound is complex and travels through Hendrix type blues to spacey, psychedelic, prog-rock via chugging, stoner metal. The songs are typically multi-movement pieces with changes of tempo and style during them. The vocals are minimal and so the music does the talking.
In terms of the listening experience, the analogy I’d draw is that SBE has an impact not unlike Pink Floyd (genre aside). SBE creates music for one to immerse oneself in, it is genuinely intense - I found myself concentrating so much that by the end of the set, I was actually tired.
Regarding the end; there was an odd moment when the audience expected an encore that didn’t materialise. There weren’t many people in the hall (perhaps 30-40 souls – it was a mid-week gig in Wolverton, the attendance no reflection on the quality of the bands); maybe there wasn’t enough noise generated to inspire the band to play more, or maybe there was never any intention to play another song and the Craufurd sound guys were just slow to turn the lights on and cue the “exit” music (maybe they were just overwhelmed by the intensity of the experience and needed time to re-adjust).
The final number “Don’t Belong” impressed me so much that at the end of SBE’s set (and when the lights were on), I asked the bass player what the name of the song was and what album it appeared on. I subsequently purchased “Waiting for the Flood” before heading for home.
That four track album was/is so good that I have since ordered, “Revelation & Mystery” and “Long Distance Trip”. During the process of ordering the extra CDs, I exchanged emails with Chris Peters, the vocalist/guitarist. He was kind enough to send me on the set-list from the gig.
For the record, Samsara Blues Experiment is an excellent band, if you have the opportunity to get to a gig, I would wholeheartedly recommend it. I’ll be paying attention to shows in the UK and will try my best to see this group again.
Mother Corona at the Craufurd Arms
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