Live Review : Stöner + Slomosa @ Academy 3, Manchester on May 2nd 2022

Ahhh. Kyuss. The great could have been of modern metal. There was a point where they were set to inherit the earth. However, line up jiggery-pokery and record label indifference led to their dissolution in 1995. Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri would go on to form the far more successful, far more commercial, and simply just not as good Queens of The Stone Age. However, Kyuss left a legacy. A legacy that would grow and grow in prestige and scale to the point where their influence now far outweighs anything they achieved in their short time of actually being active.

It is obvious from the start that Bergan’s Slomosa are Kyuss aficionados of the highest order. They have taken that stripped back psychedelic sound and gone to town with the distortion pedal. They fill the air with heavy, thick riffs, brim-full of groove and reverberation. Norway may well be musically thought of as a stronghold of Satanic Black Metal, A-ha and not much else. However, it has always had a healthy underground Stoner Metal scene (the seminal Wolves Like Us are case in point) and Slomosa are just the latest incarnation to crawl out of that particular smoke-filled primordial ooze. They may well be young (it is highly likely that none of them had been conceived when Kyuss released any of their seminal works) but they have a sterling confidence that belittles their years. They know what they are doing, and they do what they do well. Pounding gnarly riffs just liked Mor made them.

There have been many attempts to recapture and reconstitute the brilliance of Kyuss. In the Noughties, before Queens of the Stone Age became the vacuous stadium filling monstrosity that they are today, there was much talk of a reunion. Then in 2010 three fifths of the band (John Garcia, Nick Oliveri and Brant Bjork) re-emerged as Kyuss Lives, providing a methadone hit for anyone desperate to see their impressive back catalogue in a live setting. Sadly, the wheels came off soon after their inception as the other two fifths of the classic line up (Josh Homme and Scott Reeder) successfully secured a court order to stop them using the Kyuss moniker in any connotation. Oliveri bailed but Garcia and Bjork briefly continued as Vista Chino until that stuttered to a halt in 2014.

I recount all this to give you a sense of why Stöner  is such a big deal. Billed as a stoner metal supergroup it is essentially the reincarnation of Kyuss’ legendary rhythm section, as it sees Nick Oliveri and Brant Bjork work together for the first time in a decade (though with Brant abandoning his drum stool in favour of some front person action). Since they reconnected in 2020, they have been pretty prolific, and this tour is promoting their second album in twelve months. This means that this is no nostalgia trip and tonight is (in the main) about the here and now as opposed to their musical legacy.

Stöner don’t stray too far from the musical territory explored by Nick and Brant in their solo work. There is no great leap into new sonic pastures, this is sun-drenched grizzled bluesy rock in all its glory. Sprawling, loose and wonderfully laid back, this is music to bath in. It is a joyous experience to watch these two stoner rock veterans bounce off each. As you would expect there is a wonderfully chemistry in place and there is a natural fizzle each and every time they trade licks and vocals.  None of the twelve new tracks played bring anything particularly new to the party, but that doesn’t matter. This is a feast of Jam-induced rock n’ roll, slick and well-polished, but also simultaneously unrefined and organic.

They may be promoting their new material, but the encore is really where it is at. Let’s be honest you go and see former members of Kyuss on the hope that they are going to throw in a couple of classics and Nick and Brant don’t disappoint. ‘Gardenia’ is as wonderful as ever. Fuzzy, looping and full of the spirit of rock n’ roll. Understandably the ecstatic crowd sing along with lustful passion. It is credit to the wonder of Kyuss that it feels timeless in its scuzzy blues drenched simplicity. The exquisite ‘Green Machine’ follows in all stuttering driving wonderfulness. The atmosphere is amped up even further as the audience laps up the rare chance to hear Kyuss numbers performed by members of Kyuss. And no matter how good Stöner’s new material is (and it is good) the encore is alone worth the admission price! So overall good gig but how good was it to hear those Kyuss numbers again?