So, no surprises there then. What I was not prepared for was the second act of the evening, Ozrics' alter ego, Eat Static.

Now I'm the first to admit, techno beats and the whole "dance" scene have always left me cold, and although I've seen Eat Static several times, it has always been more out of loyalty to the Ozrics and Here & Now, (who also share musicians) than anything else, and I've never stuck around till the end. Eat Static are not prog, so what happened last night knocked me sideways. Only a minute into their set and I was thinking The Ozrics had returned to the stage, only now more intense, more psychedelic, more hypnotic than ever. Like a 21st century Klause Schultz they took the shocked crowd to a new level. One bedreadlocked space cadet turned to me and with a tear of joy in his improbably wide eyes, gasped, "Is this Eat Static, or Ashra Temple?". He couldn't have put it better, because that's how uplifting their set was. I'd only seen them a month ago, but this was like a different act all together. I'm not sure if they had tailored their sound to appeal to the psych-trance hippies of Amsterdam. I only hope they can keep it that way, because Eat Static are now on my list of bands to see, even if unaccompanied by their prog pals.

 

emdi.....emay.

 

 

Hi Mimimalist. They've already toured the States/Canada this year, but don't worry, they're well loved on your side of the pond, so I don't think it will be too long before they return. You can check for dates on

http://www.ozrics.proboards85.com/#Tour - www.ozrics.proboards85.com/#Tour

 

Every proghead should check out the Ozrics at least once in their life.

 

 

 

Both Joie and Merv played with the Ozric at this gig. Rumours of their departure have been greatly exaggerated. The Ozrics have always had a fairly fluid lineup, so I wasn't surprised to see them back.