The stage is thick with dry ice fog, and behind there are surely several joints being lit in the crowd (much to the chagrin of the bouncers) filling the venue with the acrid smell of burning marijuana, fittingly for a band whose music owes such a huge debt to THC. Stoner rock as a genre pretty much began with Kyuss, drawing from psychadelic influences of the late sixties like Hendrix and the early seventies reefer-influenced proto-metal exemplified by Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf" and it's been over 20 years since they got the ball rolling in the Palm Desert, California (leading to the alternative genre title of desert rock).
With the two supports acts (Burden and BLOODCARGO) following from the later more metallic take on stoner music of Phil Anselmo's post-Pantera band Down, when Kyuss take to the stage, they seem even more sublime in comparison. Without original guitarist and Queens of the Stone Age kingpin Josh Homme, this isn't a complete Kyuss reunion but it's as close as we're likely to get in the foreseeable future, and the fans love it. The capacity crowd go wild as the first chords of opener "Gardenia" ring out, played adeptly by stand-in guitarist Bruno Fevery (who's first band as a teenager was a Kyuss tribute act). He joins the definitive line-up of Garcia, Oliveri and Bjork, and they mesh well, the feeling of the bands jamming roots are retained onstage, with long (but never outstaying their welcome) improvisations on the band's back catalogue, and what appears to be the first evidence of material for their new album slated for release later this year.
The first two thirds of the set are mostly Kyuss fan favourites culled from their later albums, with the last section filled with more new material. Nick Oliveri seems relaxed and content to be back in his old band, playing with a lit cigarette in the headstock of his bass, while Brant Bjork demonstrates why Kyuss' rhythm section was so effective the first time around. John Garcia's characteristic vocals show no signs of deteriorating and while his demeanour is thoroughly relaxed through the show it is not at the expense of atmosphere. Bjork, Oliveri, Garcia and Fevery return to the stage for an encore, finishing with "Green Machine" to a rapturous response. The original members of the band exuded a confidence onstage that belies their years of experience, during and outside of the band that started their careers but also an energy that hasn't dwindled in over two decades, while their new addition manages to fit in without trying to replace Homme. The new album may not break the mold but looks set to satisfy the bands old and definitely loyal fans.
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