Brant Bjork Trio / Earl Of Hell / Dunes / Reptilian Humanoid @ Rebellion, Manchester, 25th Jan 2025

With an exciting bill of four bands for the first Riffolution Promotions gig of 2025, it was an early start of 6pm as I walked through the doors at Rebellion in Manchester. Brant Bjork is one of those artists that, whichever band he’s in, demands to be seen, and this was the 4th reincarnation I’ve seen him in, Brant Bjork and the Bros, Kyuss Lives, Stöner and now the Brant Bjork Trio, so an exciting evening ahead was expected.

First up, with their wonderfully dressed mic stands, were Manchester’s Reptilian Humanoid, a five-piece band who make some crazy prog, psych noises to mould with the fret-tapping glory on songs like Ecdysis. There was a lovely bass in the mid-section, and when you could hear the keyboards, they fitted in well with the overall sound.

With singer Keenan Judge a bit restricted on where he could move because of all the equipment on stage, they have big crunchy riffs and nice grooves on Hyperspace and with Theory they have a song that gets heads moving with a catchy riff. We get a bit of politics with ‘it was not a Roman salute, fuck that guy’ before they end with Reptilian, which has a smooth bass line, great tempo and a nice bit of freestyle in the middle, before it gets heavier, so much so that the keyboard stand was rattling!

Up next are Dunes, who impressed me when I saw them last year at Riffolution Festival. They have such a pleasing drum sound, and with a crashing of the cymbals, they kick off the set with the excellent Riding The Low from their recently released album Land Of The Blind. They have a few tech issues, and with guitarist John Davies putting his foot playfully over the set list, so The Shaman couldn’t, at first, get a photo, before the Newcastle Upon Tyne stoner rockers flow into Cactus and then Tides.

When the dual vocals join forces, they produce a more powerful delivery, and when combined with the sharpness of the bass sound along with the melodies and hooks of the guitar, they have a clutch of terrific songs with Voodoo being the standout for me and as it gets heavier, you can feel the energy in the venue build. ‘Time flies’ says Davies, ‘shall we come back Manchester?’ he asks the crowd, and with a firm yes, they finish off with One Eyed Dog, another song full of great tempo and raucous riffs. When you come back Dunes, I’ll be there.

Edinburgh rockers Earl Of Hell were a band I’d heard good things about, but never seen before, so when they kicked off with new single Infernal Dream I was nodding along to their brand of macabre induced heavy fuzzed out rock. ‘This is a song about Vlad the Impaler’ announces singer Eric Brock, and the riffs are plentiful on Impaler, which is a quality song that is over far too quickly.

The next track, Brave New Age, highlights a different tempo, heavier edge and a neat riff before the more sinister and dirty grooves of Calling, Is The Crow, where you could really hear that deep sound from Dean Gordon on his 5-string bass. My Twisted Mind was a real head bopper and leads into Macabra Cadabra which has a heavier and more raucous sound, with guitarists Lewis Inglis and Dan Mitchell having a bit of a face off in front of each other before drawing big applause from the crowd.

‘We’ve got a song about a grave robber in Scotland’ is not a phrase you hear often, but it’s a nifty little number called Waiting To Die which sees bass player Dean joining the crowd on the floor that gets people moving around. All too briefly, their set ends with Bloodlines, with red lights adding to the slow dramatic guitar opening but then with a stellar riff and big drum sound, the pace is picked up and it’s a great way to finish off.

There’s not much more that can be sad about Brant Bjork, as the man is just one of those musicians who makes heavenly stoner rock music. Accompanied by the Godfather of desert rock, Mario Lalli on bass and Mike Amster on drums, this is as formidable as a trio as I’m likely to see in quite some time.

They saunter onto the stage in front of a packed crowd, and when Lalli starts playing, it’s like going to heaven. They begin with stunning Sunshine Is Making Love To Your Mind and the audience is dancing about, lapping up every moment. Buddha Time follows, which draws huge applause, and yet people were still coming into the venue to witness something very, very special.

The stage is bathed in purple lights for Bread For Butter which showcases the immaculate drumming from Amster, and together the trio are tight. The music flows so easily, and it’s an honour to be in the room watching it. Let The Truth Be Known changes the tempo, with more of a rock feel to it, and we get a few a cappella style ‘oohs’ from Bjork as the music stalls. It has the atmosphere of a private jam session that we are all invited along to watch, and when Backin’ The Daze rings out, it feels like it can’t get any better, yet it does.

The setlist draws from several of Bjork’s albums from across the years, Stackt sees Lalli dominate with his prodigious bass sound, Mary (You’re Such A Lady) and 73 are simply mesmerising as smoke fills the stage. We finally get a ‘thank you man’ from Bjork as he introduces ‘a new song’ called Down The Mountain, with its sumptuous riff. After a quick tune-up, they play the super groovy Trip On The Wine which would melt the heart of the sternest critic, and then people’s dancing shoes are given a proper workout with Too Many Chiefs… Not Enough Indians, which is insanely good.

It was at this point that I put down my pad and pen for a bit and just watched the trio perform as they oozed class, and it was a joy to see them up close. Low Desert Punk is a classic song and I bopped my head along with everyone else inside Rebellion. They continued with the silky-smooth combo of Lazy Bones and Automatic Fantastic, and when Bjork plays that distinctive riff, the crowd reacts, and the noise levels increase massively.

‘Thank you, Manchester. Mario Lalli on bass’ huge applause, ‘Mike Amster on drums’ more rapturous applause, as U.R. Free and the fabulous Freaks Of Nature bring the set to an end. But what a set and what a night. There isn’t a superlative written yet to describe their performance, however, it was night that won’t be forgotten about in a hurry.

Brant Bjork Trio

Earl Of Hell

Dunes

Reptilian Humanoid

Scribed by: Matthew Williams
Photos by: Lee Edwards