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Album review
THE LOVEGODS - AUDIENCE OF ONE
"Whether its the infectious pop hooks of MISSISSIPPI
or the saxophone drenched sleaze rock of MUCHA LUCHA,
The Lovegods infect everything here with the same sense of rock
n roll spirit and total commitment. "
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It's here then that The Lovegods make good
on all those early glimpses of promise and finally get round
to releasing the album they've been threatening and hinting
at for the last couple of years. A record that takes all the
best bits from their mini LP of a few years ago and shoves
it in a blender with the blistering energy of their live performances,
in other words a record that seduces you with its slinky charms
before smacking you in the face with a brick and running off
with a wicked grin on its face. AUDIENCE OF ONE
is a glorious mixture of Led Zeppelin, The Stooges, Patti
Smith and U2 - we're talking big, hulking rock tunes here
that sound destined to fill stadiums, all shot through with
an aggression and energy that only comes from bands still
hungry and fired up.
Its no doubt a result of the constant touring, but The Lovegods
sound like a different band at times here - everything's been
amped up and expanded upon, this is a band who've grown rock
muscles and aren't afraid to flex them. Frontwoman Deah has
emerged as a singer with power and presence to spare, wrapping
her bluesy vocals around the songs and dripping with rockstar
conviction and sex appeal - the rest of the band backing her
up with serpentine guitar riffs, throbbing bass rumbles and
hypnotic drum patterns.
From the opening moments and that slamming riff heralding
the start of LOW LOVE, its clear that AUDIENCE
OF ONE is an album that offers something a little
special. Whether its the infectious pop hooks of MISSISSIPPI
or the saxophone drenched sleaze rock of MUCHA LUCHA,
The Lovegods infect everything here with the same sense of
rock n roll spirit and total commitment.
Of course, as with most things there are a few miss steps
and stumbles along the way, closing track HEAD (SUGAR'S
BAD 4 YOUR BRAIN) is a messy collision of bad techno
and funk rock that sounds like a remix gone wrong, whilst
in other places the band steer a little too close to formulaic
rock ballad territory for comfort, Deah only a brief step
away from mutating into a Bonnie Tyler for a new generation.
These are only minor quibbles however, when stacked against
the quality of the majority of the rest of the material here.
The tender strains of BLACK are about as
bruised and beautiful as anything else you'll hear all year,
the acoustic tinged ON & ON a glorious
slice of subdued pop that imagines Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple
and PJ Harvey stuck in a room together bashing out a tune.
A superb combination of epic rock songs and bruised pop majesty,
AN AUDIENCE OF ONE is an album to cherish;
beauty, brains and rock action, The Lovegods - what's not
to love?
Six years ago on a dusty Parisian side street, two spheres
of fate collided and the world of music and songwriting was
changed forever.
First there was Deah, an exotic antipodean beauty, starting
a new life for herself in Europe. Then there was essentially
French Art. It happened simply enough, Deah was busking. Art
was struck by her incredible voice; Deah was struck by Art’s
Gallic charm and handsome profile. Seeing as she was but a
helpless homeless wastrel, Art took Deah home, she made him
dinner, he taught her French. They wrote a song together.
It was the start of a beautiful friendship.
They moved to England, signed to a major label, got major
depression, left major label, met drum wunderkind Rob. They
found a boy with complimentary hair and threw a bass in his
hands. Tim had arrived and so had The love Gods. They chose
Brighton as their home and set about building an extravagant
palace made out of crystal and rubies. They stuffed their
mattresses with bird of paradise feathers and had pillows
made from clouds. Inside they constructed a magnificent recording
studio to record all their music. Word spread around town,
along the South Coast. Simple country folk told their cousins
that worked on the riverbanks and news soon spread right up
into the smoke.
The loveGods were asked to London, they played at galleries
and fashion shows and everyone loved them wherever they went,
because they are The loveGods and that is what they do. They
have magical powers. When The loveGods play, an invisible
net is cast out over the audience. Suddenly you are at their
command. If Deah says ‘bark like a dog’, you’ll
bark like a dog, and you’ll howl and you’ll bawl
and you won’t know why.
In Paris, London and New York, their ethereal presence has
seeped into the souls of gig-goers. Shape-shifting masters
of allusion and metamorphosis, The loveGods sweep from raw
emotive rock to trailer trash hillbilly, to feisty operatic
flamenco to blissfully melancholic lullaby, upon the breath
of a dying butterfly. Everyone who sees The loveGods cannot
help but be touched by the sheer sincerity and beauty they
radiate.
A Brief History
The loveGods started out as a duo performing acoustic sets
in a small basement venue in Brighton 2 years ago. The duo
became a four piece and have grown to be Brighton's biggest
independent band and consistently sell out the 350 capacity
Komedia venue in the heart of the city. Moving from delicate
fragility to fiery intensity, The loveGods entertain and captivate
from the moment they get on stage. With their explosive dynamics,
heart wrenching vocals, painfully potent melodies and eccentric
sense of humour, the 'Gods will take you through the full
spectrum of human emotions and back again.
On Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show on Friday 2nd April, Brighton
based four-piece The loveGods fought off stiff competition
to be crowned winners of the station’s prestigious OneMusic
Unsigned contest.
Unyielding online voting from their dedicated fanbase over
the last few months sent The loveGods flying through the first
round, hosted by the Radio 1/OneMusic website, guaranteeing
them a place in the final five. The next stage was slogging
it out with the four other finalists in a tense week of activity
on Jo Whiley's show. The loveGods had a stronghold of the
voting throughout the week which involved a number of challenges
and each day the band with the fewest votes was given the
elbow. At Friday's nail-biting finale the 'Gods just clinched
it from hot contender Broken Dolls.
To celebrate their victory the fearless foursome played to
a rammed fashionista house party in London’s East End
where their typically energetic set literally had the floors
shaking.
The Lovegods, recently crowned winners of Radio One's prestigious
Best Unsigned Band release their debut album AUDIENCE OF ONE
in Spring 2006.
Inspired and influenced by artists like Velvet Underground,
Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, AUDIENCE OF ONE is an eclectic
mix of 12 timeless songs which will seduce you and take you
through a whole spectrum of emotions.
As Brighton's biggest unsigned act The Lovegods fill 500 capacity
venues and regularly sell out venues around the country. This
enables the band to be self sufficient and has allowed them
freedom to subsidise the recording of their debut album.
It was a chance meeting on a Parisian side street where vocalist
Deah met guitarist Art. "I was homeless and busking in
France when I bumped into Art", says Deah. Art was struck
by her incredible voice, he took her home, she made him dinner,
he taught her French, and they wrote a song together that
evening. A few days later, the duo packed up their car and
headed to England where they met and joined forces with drummer
Rob and bassist Mezza.
The band has built up a reputation as one of the most electrifying
live acts in the UK. They've played 200 shows in the past
year including support slots with the Magic Numbers, Franz
Ferdinand, The Darkness and The Fun Lovin' Criminals. They
entertain and captivate from the moment they get on stage
with their explosive dynamics and heartwrenching vocals. NME
coined their performance "Led Zep with chick singer and
less solos".
::
Line Up :: Discography :: Merchandise :: Further Listening
:: Web Links ::
| Deah >vocal/guitar Art >guitar/vocals Rob>drums/Percussion Mezza>bass
AUDIENCE OF ONE (2005>Bread Records)
LINKS
Review date: October 2005
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2000 - 2006