Fuzz Live Review

"I saw Ty Segall here last time and he was crazy, so...excitement" reminisces Ben Thompson of Nai Harvest, and an already packed out Gorilla would suggest that he's not the only one eager to see Ty's garage psych outfit Fuzz. The prematurely full venue is not entirely in the headliners honour though, Nai Harvest have made quite a name for themselves since their 2013 debut 'Whatever'. They're a Sheffield-based duo who play a fuzzy, hectic brand of slacker pop, and Thompson's studious rig offers a warm, reverby guitar sound for his infectious melodies to sit beneath. Their set is well-received, even if cut slightly short. Preceding Nai Harvest were Denim & Leather, who tore through an intimidating and relentless 10 song set of unforgiving punk.

Segall and co. (Chad Ubovich of Meatbodies and Charles Moothart) begin setting up at about half nine, and it's clear just from the soundcheck that Fuzz play very loud. Segall's drumkit takes centre stage, with Moothart's towering guitar cab to one side and Ubovich's bass to the other. After a slight delay, Fuzz begin their set with new cut Rat Race, which receives an appreciative but muted response. However, it doesn't take long for Fuzz to cause complete chaos. Fuzz's Fourth Dream follows and sparks a mass sing-along, and moments later the Gorilla is a complete garage rock-infused mess. Two songs in and there are three crowdsurfers, two of Ty's mics in the crowd. Ubovich's pedalboard is somewhat scarcer that Moothart's, but his wah reverberates through the venue, and when the three harmonise the result is utterly deafening. The opening notes to 'What's In My Head' are cheered in a way more suited to a football match than a gig, and with good reason. That riff already sounds iconic, and it's probably Fuzz's key soundbite (not to say that their record isn't fantastic). Once again, Fuzz cause complete mayhem with another killer chorus. It's kind of hard to talk about the show because I spent most of it getting pushed into the drumkit, but Fuzz are an unbelievable live act and I can't recommend seeing them enough. 

By Marty Hill