Slomosa & Psychlona @ Rebellion, Manchester, 3rd February 2025

With a queue of people outside the venue and snaking down into Manchester‘s Bugle Street, Rebellion and Tapestry Promotions, had done very well for a Monday evening, as the place was heaving for the arrival of Norwegian’s finest rock export, Slomosa, who were in town promoting their latest release Tundra Rock.

What was even better to see, was that there weren’t several support acts, but only one, Bradford’s finest stoner rock quartet Psychlona, who were given a full hour set, even if it did mean that the gig finished later than I wanted it to, old age creeping in methinks folks!!

With the intro music playing across the PA, they stepped onto the stage to generous applause and from the gentle beginning they exploded into life with powerful opener Let’s Go. The guitar sound from Phil Hey and Martin Wiseman is heavy and enjoyable, and they follow on with more riffs during Jasmine – both songs from their recent Warped Vision album and the crowd are loving it. Then comes my favourite song, Down in the Valley which I stood and admired. You can feel that low end bass sound from Ian Buxton rumbling and it’s a real headbanger of a track.

‘This is from the new album, and there are some left on the merch stand, so when it’s gone, it’s gone’ Hey informs the crowd, as they plough into Topanga. The tempo changes break the song up nicely and has that tripped out feel to it. The softer, mellower side comes through more on Rainbird with The Shaman making the Dave Gilmour comparison during this dreamy effort. Then the venue goes a bit wild when the red lights signal the beginning of Blast Off and it’s another epic song, with riffs that are so pleasing to the ear. After a raucous round of applause, we get a ‘you’re too kind’ from the stage.

This was the first time I’d witnessed Psychlona live and they are well worth seeing, as their mix of styles means there’s something for everyone to enjoy. They have lively fuzz driven songs like Ride from the first album, then heavier, crunchier sounding songs like Blow, and they are both appreciated from the crowd, who are lapping it up. ‘Right then, get them lighters out’ heralds the spaced-out Purple River before they finish off with the almost shoegaze energy of Magic Carpet. Mayhem ensues with big fat riffs bringing the house down and getting heads a rocking. A superb support slot and they warmed the crowd up for the main event.

And what a main event this was. Having seen Slomosa around fifteen months ago supporting Elder, I was quite surprised at how full the venue was for them. This is probably due to their phenomenal album Tundra Rock which has seen the foursome from Bergen getting a lot of praise, plus it was in my top ten albums of last year, so I’m taking some of the credit!!

With the stage lights dimmed, and the intro playing, they walk on to be greeted with huge applause from the expectant masses. The sumptuous crisp notes of opening track Afghansk Rev gets the crowd engaged from the off, before they perform one of the highlights of the night for me, the resplendent Cabin Fever. It draws the audience in, and they erupt all over the venue, with the crowd singing the words back at them throughout. Rice sees them continue at this insane level of brilliance, with the heavy guitar sounds from Benjamin Berdous and Tor Erik Bye captivating all inside.

‘Thank you so much Manchester, it’s great to be back here, hope you are ready for a good night’ says Berdous, ‘let’s hear it for Psycholona yeah’ more wild cheers, ‘this is one of our new ones, called MJ’ and that dreamy sound which flows so well before they ‘return to our first album, so if you know it, sing along with us’ and the sublime In My Mind’s Desert leaves me struggling for superlatives to write down in my pad, so I just stand and admire their brilliance from afar. With Bye and bassist Marie Moe going into full on synchronised headbanging mode, it flows well, and the crowd are complimented by Berdous, ‘you have beautiful voices Manchester’ ahead of him asking to see ‘a bed of lights’ as the house lights are turned off the main stage in advance of Psykonaut.

The whirlwind that is bassist Moe is non-stop, and she sets the tone that the crowd at the front responds to during Battling Guns with the immense drumming from Jard Hole, running the show from behind. Moe takes over vocals for the start of Red Thundra and this song moves along at some pace, whipping the crowd up into more of a frenzy. ‘This song is for you guys at the front’ comments Berdous with a beaming smile on his face as Monomann is blasted out, and it certainly does the trick as the moshers respond.

‘This is by far the biggest crowd we’ve had on a Monday night’ jokes the frontman, just before they launch into the epic There Is Nothing New Under The Sun. This is why we come out to gigs, to hear songs like this, to witness bands in full flow, giving their all and everyone having one hell of a terrific time together.  With Horses following next, they have an impressive repertoire of songs in their catalogue, and I doubt they’ll be playing 500 capacity venues for much longer.

Kevin is dedicated to all the ‘mosh pit whores’ as the guitarist go back-to-back, playing in unison as the crowd bounce and rejoices in the wonderment on the stage. With the emotional and heart-warming Scavengers finishing off the set, it brings the house down and wraps up a masterly performance from a band who have progressed so much in a short space of time. Miss them at your peril.

Slomosa

Psychlona

Scribed by: Matthew Williams
Photos by: Lee Edwards