Based between Brussels and Berlin, Golden Hours is comprised of past and present members of Gang Of Four, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Tricky, The Fuzztones and The Third Sound, to name just a few. A band with mileage and stories, they trade in rock’n’roll missives that are at times dark, tense and hypnotic, at others sweaty, relentless and danceable. They released their self-titled debut album earlier this year on Fuzz Club Records and are currently on a UK tour, and BSM caught their show in Manchester this week.
Main support comes from Warrington’s Pray for Mojo, a fuzz-flavoured psychedelic square who have become known for their eclectic yet relentless live performances. Their music has expanded from their previous heavy psych, grunge tinted yet wholly classic rock base in their latest EP Scabby Road, which sees them add more progressive elements as well as world influences. They fly through a high octane set, bouncing from the off. It includes tracks such as ‘Landslide’, ‘You’ and ‘Rickety Bridges’ and the scant crowd cheer them on, making up in noise what the numbers lack.
Our headliners treat the faithful to a mixed-up version of an album playback in full, changing the track order to suit their live flow. Opening with the instrumental ‘Drone Club’ they set the tone before moving into ‘Calling Me Home’, a piece of shoegaze brilliance which is much more potent live; vocals lost in layers of ethereal sound. ‘Not Enough’ invokes the spirit of the West in it’s tonation and rolling motorik beat, before ‘The Forgotten One’, who were told is so named because, they aptly, kept forgetting about it, has a softer countenance that lulls the crowd into submission. ‘Dead On’ is my favourite album track and its echoing vocals haunt in a way that lingers long after the track has added. They add in a cover of their name’s sake, ‘Golden Hours’, of Brian Eno fame before firing through a couple of more tracks, to conclude with ‘Come and Find Me’, which is ironically (or not) the album opener. Whether or not intended, this makes you just want to listen to them all over again.
