Everyone who's involved, even a bit, into heavy rock / stoner music has certainly noticed 1000mods to be one of the most promising bands in the whole scene (and I'm not referring only to the Greek scene of course). This fact certainly doesn't just happen from one day to another, but it comes through hard work, devotion and great skills. A profound evidence of all these, derives directly from band's debut album "Super Van Vacation" produced by Billy Anderson, which unanimously gained one place among the best releases of 2011. So, having all the above in mind and thinking that it's been 6 years (!) since their last visit in Larissa, when I heard that 1000mods will play again in my hometown, I have to admit that I jizzed my pants.
The event was set in motion by the local act of Birthday Kicks stepping on Stage's stage (Inception tribute phrase :P ) slightly delayed. It was the third time I watched them live this season (the other two were supporting, V.I.C. and Planet of Zeus) and to be fair, I have to admit that their music is not my cup of tea. They play a mixture of grunge and psychedelic alternative rock and technically they have a solid presence, but I would love to see them having a little more "spicy" tunes in their setlist. Anyway I repeat that I'm not the ideal listener to judge their music.
Nearly 45 minutes later, it was Lizardia's turn to begin their set. The stoner/doom band from the neighbour city of Volos, unreeled their heavy veil upon us starting with a brand new song called "Turn To Smoke" and then they continued with my favourite tune from their "Home Recordings", "It Falls on Deaf Ears". Their high energy presence seemed to have the sound with its side for the moment but this changed rapidly after a couple of songs and the result was quite unfair for the band's effort. Despite the "cloudy" sound though, Lizardia seemed to be in great form. Gary ("cooler, you die") and Pijo built up a thick rhythm section, helping Bluff to give his best while Jeje's hands were unleashing riffs both from band's latest and older material.
At this point, I have to say that the latest tunes –presented for the first time in Larissa- underline more of their doom side and give a hint for the sound direction of their forthcoming debut album. Tracks such as "Loss" and "Sutter Kane" worked fine as an appetizer and I'm eagerly waiting to listen to the way they will sound on studio. Lizardia's best gig in Larissa so far, ended with band's hits: "Fine Dead Lady" and "Where Only Lizards Quietly Weave" coming from their "The Serpent’s Trace" EP.
After almost an hour and a half, from the event’s (Birthday) kick off, it was about time for the "Hiliomodian" dudes to set foot on stage. As usual, 1000mods had installed a mini "amplifier fetish fest" (including gear from Orange, Green, Sunn, and Marshall ) and when the main riff of "Road to Burn" came in, a local earthquake took place. The good sound was back and our heads had been instantly blown away. The "abnormal natural phenomena" continued as gravity was too high, making Danis' bass licking the floor and Labros' sticks to hit the drumkit with a multiplied g-force. Scientists suspect that this happened due to Giannis' and Giorgos' heavy riffage but they can't say for sure. The setlist was obviously "Super Van" oriented, although we had the chance to listen to songs from the first ("Blank Reality") and the latest ("Valley of the Sand") EPs.
At this point I must say, that personally I fully enjoyed the 17+ minute "Valley of the Sand" song, but Im not sure how it was perceived by someone who wasn’t familiar with such a new long jamming piece of music. Unfortunately the 1000mods' set lasted only a little more than an hour due to the fact that the venue is forced to end its gigs on 01:00 am. As a consequence, some of my personal favourites such as "Desert side of your mind" and "Burnt Sleep" left out of the playlist, but band's entire performance was so fuckin' great that there is no room for any complaints.
In conclusion, it was a great evening and I had such a great time. All bands gave their best and personally I had at last (!) the chance to watch one of my favourite bands live in my hometown after so many years. The only negative impression -beyond the mediocre sound during Lizardia's set- was the small attendance. I admit that we are in a hard financial situation but when such a great band comes to your place after so many years and the ticket costs only 5 euros, I can't find any excuse for the poor attendance. There weren't more than 100 people... Anyway we need more events like this and I hope to have them soon. Cheers!
Report, Photos and Video by Vasilis "Tyler" Durden
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