Live Review: Stonefield, The Delta Riggs and Kingswood at The Patch: 26/04/12

There was something not quite right about Kingswood's opening track. This was easily explained by the loss of a bet that put all members on different instruments. Their actual sound is somewhere between Faith No More and Pink Floyd. They easily slip from the grind of Sun to a milky blues standard and the new live rocker So Long. With lyrics such as “Die! Die! Die! I'm gonna cut off your head” and the free single Yeah Go Die, you can tell they're a band full of love.

Can you spell rock gods? T.H.E.D.E.L.T.A.R.I.G.G.S. Down to a five-piece sans keys, they kicked out a rock set. Armed with harmonica, hats, harmonies and haircuts to die for, the lads battled a reluctant crowd. Conjuring images of The Black Crowes, the band that seem the best comparison are Dr Teeth & The Electric Mayhem. Bowel-rattling bass held the groove throughout, while the odd noodling solo was perfectly formed in depth and length. Old stayers are pleased by the inclusion of the requested All The Little People. It took a Daft Punk cover to get the entire crowd onside, but on a tough night they left the stage with a room of chanting new fans.

It must be hard to be on tour with your mum and rock out. More likely though, it is this grounding that keeps Stonefield from becoming tattooed Proactiv sellouts and focuses them on their own spectacular brand of '70s psychedelia. But don't undercut their talent by writing them them off as another '70s prog rock tribute band. There are some bands who fit more ideas into one song than other bands do in a career. Some do it for the sake of it, others, like Stonefield, harness it to form a rockslide of sludge and sharp edges. All the hits were here, including the tour single Bad Reality, Black Water Rising and Through The Clover. The new tracks were a little rougher but Ruby Skies was an instant favourite. As they swung into the regular cover of Magic Carpet Ride the house lights came up. Unperturbed, the girls rocked through another five tracks, closing with a killer rendition of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. Their combination of '50s stomp drums, '60s Hammond soul, '70s guitar flanging, '80s rolling bass, '90s grrl riot guts and an unmistakable earnestness for the music makes for a timeless rock quality.