With the curiosity-piquing promise of getting to hear Heavy Salad’s new material from their upcoming debut album, I couldn’t resist heading to their headline show at Gulliver’s on January 25th in Manchester.
There was little room for disappointment as their multifaceted talent donned a plethora of wholesome new guises during their set. From mesmerising Blur-Esque trippy transcendence to their individualistically cosmic take on Pop to bitingly vivid Psych Rock to occultist eerily kaleidoscopic tones, they offered it all and more. Their versatility is illimitable.
All too often, when you listen to new bands, you’ll also hear the desperation in their bid for conformity and acceptance within a scene. With Heavy Salad, there’s a tranquil air to their live performances as they relay the melodic manifestations of their Lynchian imaginations and ingenuity. If anything is as refreshing as their defiance against orthodoxy, it’s seeing deftly talented artists with no sense of ego or grandeur. The vibe between them spills out in rhythmic tides ready to sweep up anyone open-minded enough to appreciate genuine distinction.
The sprinkling of bemused faces in the crowd affirmed just how innovative Heavy Salad are – both on record and in their live shows where they are joined by their aptly-named backing singers The Priestesses. Their extremely nuanced vocal contributions lace every single track with a celestially arcane feel. If witch trials were held today, The Priestesses definitely wouldn’t be safe.
But it is safe to say that they know how to end a set. The visceral monster with which they concluded was the first time I’d truly gotten a taste of the extent of guitarist Rob Glennie’s talent. His usual cathartic serene style took a seismic shift into a blisteringly arrestive masterfully crafted riffs which induced a literal jaw-drop moment. It all seemed to happen at the speed of light. If I wasn’t excited for their debut album which is still in production, I definitely am now.
You can check out Heavy Salad’s previously released singles via Spotify.
Keep up to date with their album release and tour dates via Facebook
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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