Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Ben Lowes-Smith enjoys an engrossing night of salubrious heavy rock
Image: Ġenn by Nostalgia Kid
There’s something quite Lynchian in Prospect of Power, their hazy harmonisation and an approach that is at once propulsive and ephemeral. The Jesus and Mary Chain feel like an obvious reference point for candyfloss melodies drenched in feedback, but there’s a slow, careful sensuality while underlies their songs too. The lack of a bass player makes the whole thing feel like it might fall apart or fall away at any moment, but perhaps that’s part of the appeal.
Ġenn are fairly peerless in terms of rock groups at present. The Maltese-born, Brighton-based group seamlessly incorporate modal melodies – speaking to Flamenco and Rebitiko – into their salubrious take on heavy rock. It’s quite something to behold; they are blessed with a drummer with a perfect handle on power and subtlety to anchor these songs defined by movement so beautifully. They treat us to a lot of new songs tonight, some more plaintive in tone, and the songs from Unum are greeted warmly. Hypnotic psychedelia swims around the claustrophobically overdriven sound, and their performance tonight proves Ġenn to be one of the country’s most unique and engrossing acts on the circuit.
