Live Review: Allah-Las - EartH, London 02/10/2019
It was the second night of October and already things have started to take a turn for the ever looming colder. As London braced itself for a season of change something sunshine-compassed turned its psyched face towards the cities East end- we’re “not feeling yet quite so bad”, LA lovers Allah-Las have landed and things are going to get balmy again.
No venue more namely fitting than Hackney’s EartH could have been picked for a band who marvel in creating migratory music for the mind. Living wholly up to their revered reputation, the golden-garage four piece swam wave upon sensory wave of finely tuned devotion that washed splendidly over the buildings high-rising staircases before finding it’s comfort-spot in between the nooks and crannies of our now softly decorated, sandy souls.
The decision to open the night with instrumental crooner Sacred Sands was a confidently subtle choice that certainly didn’t disappoint those seeking constellatory chorded adventure from a band whose back catalogue stands the test of time. With a night of inventoried inspiration now ahead Allah-Las managed to charm over the crowd with rhythmic kisses of nostalgic sanctity and instantly transport us all back into a world of lapsteel-ed magic - one of which we’ll joyously bask in for days to come.
Fish On The Sand (a George Harrison cover) made for a treat-ed breath of sing-along-air whilst other highlights included a grouped chooglin’ of live-body mighty enough to Worship The Sun with Had It All before a dip into the debut album rock-pool with Busman’s Holiday and No Voodoo.
As was to be expected but this was not just a night of remembrance. With album number four looming in the ever-so-near distance it was inevitable that mirages of newly teased tracks were to flood through the mysticisms and out into the open (and ‘oh boy were they appreciated to the gut wrenchingly groovy fullest). Re-appearing once again as the evocatively perfumed goodness we’ve come to wear with un-bottled adoration, the night drew to a close with Catamaran- a chiming collected star so bright we were still squinting from its long-journey dazzle even once the hall lights were switched back on.
Words by Al Mills, and Photography by Milly McAlister