It is official, I have now seen Avalanche Party more than any other act. Frank Turner is a close second with David Bowie just behind him! I haven’t been to gigs at Oporto very often, the last one was an acoustic set from the Murder Capital back in 2022. But before I tell you about the mighty Avalanche Party I need to fill you in about the two support bands that played in this intimate, sweaty Leeds venue on Friday. First up was another band with party in their name, Freeparty. They play souped-up, dark indie pop with a smattering of punky overtones that reminded me at times (no pun intended) of the Undertones. Some of their songs were like shoegaze on speed and I do mean that in a good way. The song that they closed with was epic. Almost Pink Floydish with a pinch of Libertines added to spice it up. This bunch is very good!
Next, it was the turn of Bansley’s Everglades to take to the stage. This music is drone-driven, slow, moody 21st-century stoner blues. Musically Everglades were in perfect form. The moment where the frontman kneeled in front of the bass player was a very Bowie Ronson moment, although they didn’t go for the full-on guitar fellatio money shot. This band has some hugely talented musicians. I want to give a thunderous shout to the guitarist and co-vocalist whose playing was stupendous and made me think of Earl Slick!
Finally, it was time for Avalanche Party, this was the 15th time that I had seen them live. Let’s face it, there ain’t no party like an Avalanche party, right? Their blend of psychedelia, garage, punk, glam, indie and so much more is unparalleled among their peers. I believe that they are the finest British band of their generation and that they will continue to get better with each gig and every release. This was yet another classic Avalanche Party set. The new stuff sounds incredible and bodes well for the sophomore album which will hit the streets later this year. The band was on fire tonight and generated more heat than the core of a star, so around 100 billion degrees Celsius! If a band can thrill the crowd so much in a tiny venue like Oporto, then they can probably do the same for arena or academy crowds too. Let’s hope that they get the opportunity to do that! Kane’s drumming was louder than and more powerful than the big-bang and Joe’s bass might have registered on the Richter scale. Glen’s work on the keys tonight was magical as was Jared’s guitar riffs and fills. But high praise goes to a frontman who performs like he was made for the job, Jordan. His thousand-yard stare oozes that perfect rock god attitude and style and his voice and axe playing was sublime. There were many highlights in this set. The two biggest for me were “Solid Gold” and a magical, magnificent “Rebel Forever”. This band deserves to be huge, let’s make it so! There are a few more gigs on this tour, get along to one of them if you can.
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