Ozric Tentacles, Manchester Academy 2. 23rd November 2025

It’s time for some mind relaxing, psychedelic space rock, which can only mean one thing,.. Ozric Tentacles! This band, this sound will always hold a special place in my heart. They’re one of those bands that shaped my (admittedly very broad) musical taste as a teen. This stuff is hardwired into me. Now you may absolutely love Ozrics, stands to reason if you’re reading this, but you might also be skeptical, even dismissive that this proggy guitar and electro stuff isn’t your bag, there’s not even any words to sing along to and I’m not going to force Ozrics on you, but pop yourself in a dark room and listen to a full album, better still get yourself ticket to witness them live, for this really is something special. They’ve been at this in various guises for over 40 years and some of the patrons tonight look like they’ve been on the full journey, but there’s lot of younger faces too that have switched themselves on to this joyous escape. Yes the lights swirl and the video projection blooms with trippy kaleidoscopic wonder, mixed with a good deal of Ozric symbology. You don’t really need all that though, this is a jam and I’m instantly lost in ‘Chewier’. ‘0-1’ feels like an old friend, with that rolling baseline that builds and switches as the tempo drives on. Ed’s demented robotic guitar going toe to toe with Corey’s dub bass. ‘Erpland’ hits the accelerator and they fucking go for it. It’s incredible stuff. This song has been around a long time, but still feels vital and fresh. But it’s not all about the bonkers bass and rampant riffs. Saskia appears and brings on her flute for ‘Lotus Unfolding’ and they soar ethereally. ‘Sunscape’ is a bit of a tease as it snakes through its different movements. It’s perhaps Ozrics at their most base origins, much more organic and in that vein, Ed breaks out the acoustic for ‘Saucers’, that Saskia dedicated to the recently departed Mani. Its intricate nature, fills the room with a fitting spiritual reflectiveness. It rolls right into ‘Ayurvedic’, with a dub pulse, over which a sublime soundscape of earthy beauty glides, before it shifts and gets heads bobbing. The bass is mighty. Ed shreads and the flute pours eastern shimmer over the whole thing, before rounding out with some reggae vibes. Crowd favourite ‘The Throbbe’ follows. A slow build juggernaut, its simplicity allowing plenty of space for the layers to build as Ed lets the riffs loose. ‘Pyramidion’ still feels like a new one to me, but it’s over 20 years old. Either way, it kicks up the pace and the electro wallop. Before the clipped electro squelch of  ‘Jellylips’ goes full on wigout, which is saying something in this set. It really is a cracking set, maybe the best in years. ‘Sploosh!’ is a favoured finale. That synth line kicks in like a scythe, as it builds, extends and playfully teases us to a glorious close. Nobody does it better. Ozric Tentacles. Always brilliant. Still the space rock gold standard.