Earthless, Auckland NZ, 2019

Earthless

24th February 2019
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.

San Diego three-piece Earthless rolled into town last night bringing with them both good vibes and hard rock that would have been quite at home on the stages of Woodstock.

Auckland band Ounce had the pleasure of not only opening for Earthless in their home town but also for the shows held in both Wellington and Tauranga. Arranged on stage in a jagged line, the five members impressed with their own brand of psych rock that featured dual drummers moving together as one. Holding down vocals and lead guitar Callum Rooney led Ounce through a rather impressive set that included their latest single ‘Crocodile’ off their soon to be released LP OZ. Holding their own release tour for the aforementioned LP which includes a show at Auckland’s Whammy Bar on March 1st, Ounce are well worth the time and effort of catching live.

While only two of the three original members of Earthless could make it to New Zealand – guest bassist Rodrigo standing in for Mike Eginton – the trio still produced a wall of sound in which one could submerge their consciousness within. Formed in 2001 and named after the 1968 song ‘Earthless’ by New York band The Druids of Stonehenge, the trio have released five studio albums, their latest Black Heaven gifting fans not only with more of their unique jam style playing, but a number of tracks enriched with the vocals of guitarist Isaiah Mitchell himself. Earthless are well known for their predominantly instrumental offerings, and lengthy ones at that; whereas Black Heaven brings with it a change in style, with shorter punchier tracks that are still rooted in the core of what Earthless are and always will be for their fans. Last night’s show – their first in Auckland – was a night of psychedelic, blues infused rock that singed the eyebrows of the front row as the trio pumped out a blazing wildfire of sound that loomed above the stage.

Beginning with ‘Uluru Rock’ from their 2013 album, Earthless built their layers of sound, Mitchell soon winding up and shredding guitar riffs that brought a tear to the eye. Semi-improvisation is a key to Earthless sets, the basis of the songs composed, with then extended jam sessions assembled on top during their live performances, ensuring that no two versions of a song played on stage are ever quite the same. And that’s part of the magic of seeing Earthless live, despite the improv that often harnesses the collective love that the original trio have for both Japanese psych and German Krautrock, never once does it fall into idle noodling, a default setting that many a guitarist has been guilty of. Instead each track is like a story being written before your eyes, the break neck pace of drummer Mario Rubalcaba at times changing the songs structure, and then rebuilding itself; the guitar riffs emanating from Mitchell moving with those changes, rippling, flexing, spreading their wings and taking flight over the front rows of transfixed fans.

Despite the fact that Eginton is sadly absent from stage, the bond between Mitchell and Rubalcaba is strong, and it both draws in and supports guest bassist Rodrigo who seamlessly flows with the pack; this may also be down in part to just how humble and genuine the band are as a whole, a small group hug being shared to the side of the speaker before the trio even began to embark on their musical journey last night. ‘Black Heaven’ brought with it visions of supercharged V8’s screaming down a desert highway, the electric riffs coursing through the veins with an urgency; to not at least nod your head furiously to this music is a travesty. Following it straight up with ‘Electric Flame’ and all present dropped their jaws as Mitchell leaned forward and began to sing, his soul infused voice with just the right amount of gravelly overtone sounding even more intoxicating live, the music itself pulling down a middle eastern vibe in parts that then morphed once again and would have been quite at home in the hands of Jimi Hendrix.

While the fans would have been more than happy to have rocked out til the early hours of the morning and beyond; Mitchell was soon bidding them all goodnight while giving his heartfelt thanks, stating that they couldn’t wait to be back. Placing his guitar on it’s stand he held one finger in the air as a promise that they would indeed play an encore. Their version of The Groundhogs 1971 track ‘Cherry Red’ summed up the experience of the past eighty or so minutes perfectly; Mitchell once again singing but this time with impressive falsetto’s thrown in for good measure.

Last night Earthless put both the heart and soul back into rock music.

Were you there at Galatos for this triumphant psychedelic rock gig ? Or have you seen Earthless perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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