[Live Report] Samsara Blues Experiment, Hogg, High Noon, Welcome Home @ Thessaloniki, 15/01/2012

What a great day to catch a gig... With the temperature reaching -10 degrees, we started our little trip to Thessaloniki so that Samsara Blues Experiment can warm our souls...

We got to the club right when High Noon were finishing their set. I missed Welcome Home but from what I've been told they played 70's blues rock mainly influenced by Rory Gallagher. As for High Noon from what I saw their music is totally based in Pantera's and Down's legacy...

So it was time for Hogg to take the stage. I was curious to see these guys since I hadn't caught them before and we're expecting their new release soon enough. From the first moments of their set I knew what to expect. Groovy riffage, raw power and a singer giving his soul in every song. Their bass lines were awesome too by supporting the riffs and giving the band a thick, fat sound. Their setlist reached 45 minutes with songs like "Forest Of Despair", "Catapult", "Embrace Destruction" and closing it with a cover of Motorhead's "Bomber", they warmed up properly the crowd for the night's headliners.... A high-energy band that we should keep an eye for their upcoming release..

After a while Samsara Blues Experiment were ready to melt our brains... To be honest I had my doubts for this live since Samsara's latest work "Revelation and Mystery" disappointed me a lot. Maybe 'cause it has a more straight-forward attitude compared to their psych, hazy debut. But I was hoping that the songs would be better when played live... And from what I experienced that night I was totally right.

First of all they had an amazing stage performance, creating a great atmosphere and giving you the impression that a stage is where this band should live. Secondly their sound was excellent in a way that your heart's pulses were synchronized by their groovy vibes. Their set lasted a little more than one hour and a half  (including a 15min encore), playing songs from both albums such as "Singata Mystic Queen", "For The Lost Souls", "Flipside Apocalypse", "Into The Black", "Outside Inside Blues" and "Double Freedom". They didn't stop moving for a single second, filling up the stage with endless energy (special kudos to the bassist!!).

They made us banging our heads in their heavy moments and tripping to their universe through their psychedelic inspirations... Samsara Blues Experiment proved that they're a quality band with a promising future and one of the strongest cards of heavy rock sound.

Definitely one of the best lives I've ever seen... When I was heading out from the club, I was full of joy, pleasure and an unbelievable peace of mind conquering my ego. 

Before I close this small report I'd like to mention a couple of things. The first one is that I was glad to see more than 200 people not only attending a gig like this in Thessaloniki but also enjoying it so much ('cause let's be honest Thessaloniki is not one of the most open-minded cities as far as its musical taste concerned). This means that there is hope to see more lives like this one taking place soon... The second thing is that at last you can attend such gigs by paying a small amount of money (10/12 euros for 4 bands or three and a half hours of live music), something very important nowadays so my congrats to the guys behind this event!

Report by Thanos
Photos By Victor Malkievic