When Loverless stepped on to a red-lit stage, there was an intense wail over the crowd. Some were requesting older songs like “50 Dollar Ticket” and “Trying to Avoid Your Love,” and ladies screamed “Elijah, take your shirt off.”
In the back of the crowd a high pitched voice yelled: “Dan if you don’t give me my skeleton mask, the goblins will get you.” All this is typical at a Loverless show.
Exactly one year after their first release party for their self-titled album, Loverless returned to the Big Easy two weeks ago with an enlightening new album called Fighter. With them came about 200 fans, a hell of a lot of energy and their same old rock n’ roll attitude.
Their sound is reminiscent of the late ’60s and early ’70s psychedelic blues-rock from Britain.
“Loverless is the blues,” said Elijah Ocean, the bands lead singer and guitarist. “It’s not traditional blues music. It’s science fiction blues. It’s 2006. We’re not going to be playing music that seems like its 100 years old.”
The other band members are Mike Anderson (drums) and Danny MacLeod (bass and organ).
The Big Easy was packed with people; some freaky, some not, some chatting and some chanting for Loverless. Local band members attended including Dominic from Dominic and the Lucid, Nick from The Lost Cause Desperados, Graham Isaacson, Evan Casas of Ocean and Casas, Mike McGovern of Solarfade and Chris James from Money Making Playa’s. Almost everyone hip in the Portland music scene was there. After the Hot Tarts finished their enthusiastic set, the madness
began.
“The venue was nice,” said Ian Sawyer, a student from Southern Maine Community College. “It was well lit and the music wasn’t overpowered by the microphone, which is what usually happens in bars.”
They opened the set with “When the Sun Goes Down Tonight,” which is on their album Fighter. This song starts with MacLeod using the organ to produce minimalist atmospheric sounds. Ocean comes straight into a slower blues/folk guitar progression and adds vocals. The emotion and rage is shown through the slightly distorted guitar and raspy lyrics.
“Honey don’t cry now hide your tears, my train is coming in the mornin’. I wish I was
dead and gone. Underneath the ground.”
After that song, the drums kicked in and the whole band smashed straight into a twisted and up-tempo song from Fighter, “Out Back by the Railroad Tracks.” This song gets the blood boiling and inspires movement. People were instantly head banging in front of the band. The song is an energized one minute and 23 seconds that keeps driving with the lyrics, “waiting for the wind to take me home,” and the pumping bass line delivered by MacLeod’s loud and picked Rickenbacker bass.
Ocean said of the romantic element of the album, “Its kind of like hopeless romance.
Loverless is the blues to me, being not without love but without a lover.” There’s a romantic thread throughout the album that is epitomized in the title track.
“I’m not a fighter but I’ll fight for you,”
shows this willingness to stand up for love in a desperate way. It’s one of the fiercest and best constructed songs on the album.
Loverless even managed to infuse energy into their slower traditional blues song, “Motherless Child.” The song starts slow, with only the guitar and voice, similar to “When the Sun Goes Down Tonight.” After two verses the drums entered and as they added layers, they built tension.
The live sound of Loverless is an intensified version of both albums. Whether playing live or being recorded they put in all the have. They fight for quality in both areas. The guitar sound is similar to Jimi Hendrix’s but with a Boss delay pedal and a Marshall stack cranked. The sound can be as aggressive as Nirvana or as sweet as Eric Clapton. MacLeod’s bass playing adds thick and meaty texture that perfectly compliments the death metal as well as the slower rock drumming of Anderson.
Check out their new CD for sale at
Bullmoose music. Check out www.myspace.
com/loverless to hear a sample of their music
and to find out where they are playing next.?