Live Review: Dead Meadow, Pink Mountaintops, The Devil Rides Out, Sugarpuss

It was the long Easter weekend, and Northbridge was brimming with those looking to resurrect on Easter Sunday hungover. But for some, the music to lose yourself in was the double bill of BC budsters Pink Mountaintops and LA stoner rockers Dead Meadow. Locals Sugarpuss opened choosing not to follow routine and blended their set as one non-stop journey into feedback and big choruses. All eyes were on frontman Jake Webb's guitar and vocal chops, adding a pedal freak out midway through Decay, whilst hammering his guitar on the stage. The Devil Rides Out followed bringing the speed of their Kyuss-like stoner rock to a small but dedicated crowd. Using the momentum behind a carnage of riffage, quiet/loud vocals and slide guitar licks, the four-piece broke through with a ripping set. What is usually a collective of musicians on record was represented by only two members for Pink Mountaintops' set. Drums and bass came pre-recorded and it was the beardy Stephen McBean on guitar and vocals backed by keyboardist Gregg Foreman. A two piece performing tunes usually played by many more members was a hard ask, and although a bass player and drummer really could have given it the feel of the real deal, the two did manage to create a lot of noise. McBean's shoegazing guitar work and an organ with effects galore meant tracks such as While We Were Dreaming were given a gutsier feel live. Although not all the audience was taking notice, the acoustic Plastic Man, You're the Devil and Vampire saw some kick-arse work on the bluesy folk-rock tracks. It was a dedicated fan base that crowded up close as Dead Meadow came to the stage, kicking into their signature slow tempo psych groove. Frontman Jason Simon was eyes-closed, feeling his way around the fretboard of wah-soaked solos and strums in What Needs Must Be, showing off some nice sounding new material before oldie Indian Bones. Bringing out the familiar fuzz drone riff of Sleepy Silver Door, the band effortlessly fell into an extended jam, receiving a rapturous applause from the crowd as they left the stage. But it wasn't all over, an encore of Beyond the Fields We Know proved another tripped out highlight for the die hard fans that were still sticking around.