Song of the Week #2
I first came across Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats at Download Festival in 2013. Due to my reluctance to go see Iron Maiden (the ultimate festival play-it-safe headliner), I made my way to a smaller stage after Queens of the Stone Age had finished their set. I walked into the tent to witness 3 men onstage in front of a drummer, playing through a setlist stood near-motionless with hair acting as a uniform shroud in front of their faces, the methodical chug of their distorted instruments a metronomic gut punch as it emanated from the amplifiers behind them. The breaks in-between songs followed suit, with the band only checking that the guitars had stayed in tune and the lead singer not uttering a word before breaking into another song, using every minute of the set to let their music do the talking.
It was a stark contrast from every other band that weekend or for any festival I’ve been to for that matter. Bands would always do their best to either drive the crowd into a frenzy, or display boundless amounts of energy themselves to try and ensure that as many people as possible in the room remembered their name once the booze and the sunshine had faded away into the working week that would follow. I became a real fan of Uncle Acid’s psych(y)/stoner rock sound since, and have had their 2013 Mind Control and 2015’s The Night Creeper on repeat all week. The song I have linked is called Poison Apple, and shows what Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats are about in its entirety. Enjoy.