Land of the Giants posses one of the raunchiest, dirtiest and most primal sounds I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing, their set is quite simply one big party. This gig was something of a homecoming celebration for the barefoot outfit which saw them playing Tavistock as part of their Shine On Tour. The Wharf is a great venue, with a great sound system and a great atmosphere. A unique feature of a Land of the Giants gig is that they plan an interval into their set making their show a set of three halves.
The first half finished with "Holy Funk" - lead singer Andy Quick has a unique voice and this track allowed him to exploit its sensual limits, with the room singing along in unison, this was a sure fire crowd pleaser. True to form - as the band leave the stage Andy invites the crowd to “get some beer in yer”, he then adjourns with the rest of the band to the bar to chat with fans, which invariably includes family and close friends. Working on Cornish time, the boys return “dreckly” to the stage and launch into act 2.
The second 'half' was monumental - the highlights being "Whatcha Gonna Do?", which was given a unique twist when former 'Giants' guitarist Sam Copp stepped out of the crowd, stripped off his shirt and joined in with the chorus at the microphone. The crowd went wild, there were broad smiles all around from the band. The finale of the second half is what I believe to be the most spectacular LOTG track of all time; "The Drop", It’s a soundscape that demonstrates the most perfect example of a drop I have ever witnessed - it’s a whole body experience. Andy’s breathy vocals build the tension as he invites you to join him and after the perfect, most tantalising pause for anticipation, the drop of all drops smashes into your senses, with the horns of (now dreadlockless) Gaz Le Page on Trombone and Josh Westrip on Trumpet, Tom Ogilvie’s bass and Ted Baker’s drums all smash into your senses and release that tension in a delicious wall of sound. The song cycles through to the most amazing drop, time after time. The crowd were treated to a special guest appearance by Sam Copp who, after falling on his knees to worship at the feet of the guitarist Rob Austin, was graciously offered Rob’s guitar to finish the song with some spectacular shredding, making a mean and totally smoking lead guitar solo. As Tom put it, “Rob and Sam get on famously - Giants new and old are one big family at the end of the day.” The following night in Bristol, the boys were joined by their regular guest, beatboxer Paul Lacey from the Bristol outfit The Scribes. When his unique vocal rhythm is added to the top of The Drop, it takes the song up another level still.
The third "half” is the encore of delicious decadent tunes and musical genius. Don’t expect the pubs to be open when the boys finally decide to knock it on the head, or management threaten to pull the plug to preserve their entertainment licence for the future! Just because the music might stop doesn’t mean that the party does. So plan for a late one.
Photo courtesy of Land of the Giants
The tickets for their shows are remarkably good value and you should abandon whatever plans you have in place and proceed directly to the next nearest show to you. Trust me, its worth every penny. The Land of the Giants celebrate the everything that is everything about the glorious excesses of youth and could well be about to break into the big time. Take a chance to be someone who can say, “I remember seeing them before they were an arena band…...”
If you want more information on their forthcoming shows, check out the tour poster below or head over to https://www.facebook.com/landofthegiants/ for loads more information.
Review by Pete Yeomans