After clocking close to 100 gigs in 2023, tonight is the last one and we’re going out in style. Packed into Yes’ Pink Room are an enthusiastic bunch of souls already pumped up, just wait until Déjà Vega come on!
Support comes from Velkro, who belt out some decent darkly supercharged shoegaze with a hefty dose of goth tinges. This is right up my street and they sound good live, but I’m eager to find something recorded, which has so far eluded me. They sound a bit raw, that’s no bad thing, but I need to hear more. They’re fighting with a very chatty crowd and some technical glitches, but crack on and after a little over half an hour I’m convinced there’s a killer EP either out there or coming.
Déjà Vega are many things, but raw they are not, unless you mean raw power. Right from the off it’s strap in and hold on. Tom’s drums setting the pace as Jack rips riffs from his guitar. He plays like it’s a wild animal refusing to be tamed. Which is a good metaphor for their sound. Lyrics are delivered with shouted vitriol. Punching the air, cranking things up on ‘It’s All Gone Wrong’ as the tempters rises. Head banging at the speed this lot lay down could seriously rearrange your marbles, but it’s not long before it’s bouncing down the front. Empties fly and grown men are up on shoulders. This is not a big room and probably the first time I’ve seen this in here. One brave fella is only a foot from taking his head off on the projector bolted to the roof. Things do mellow a bit for ‘Slow snd Steady’. It’s more blissed out, but with a dark edge, like the score to a late afternoon premeditated murder in the Californian sunshine. Definite 60s hippy vibes. It’s just the calm before they jam the peddle down again and the pit erupts. Thing is some of this crowd don’t look that comfortable in a pit and have just been caught out. There’ll be some bruised and sore bodies in the morning I think, but the smiles stay so it’s all good. A Déjà Vega set is never sedate, but whether everyone’s just smashed because it’s Christmas or something else, I’m not sure, but I’ve never seen it quite this charged and raucous. Jack in particular seems to feed off it. Riling up the room for ‘Mr Powder’ which I’m convinced gets faster every time they play it. ‘Who Are We’ is a bit of a tease, it builds, explodes with the “we are one’ refrain, before resetting and go again and again. It’s this motorik underbelly rhythm I love them for. You could lay anything on top, but they’ve found the perfect poison in Jack’s shredded melodies. I’ve seen them five or six times this year and I’ll be brutally honest I don’t think this was the best, but it’s still brilliant regardless. Honestly they’re not capable of delivering a bad set. They’re a band that although amazing on record, HAVE to be seen live to really appreciate. I’m a grump I know, but I fucking hate Slade and could do without the cover that they tag into the traditional extended finale, but hey they just about make it work inbetween the electronic blips, pounding drums and Mike’s ever present bass backline. It’s an epic finish to 2023. I really couldn’t ask for more. See you next year!
