What happens when planets align? Astronomers say “actually, nothing special”. What happened when “Planet of Zeus” aligned with “Allochiria” and “Beggar’s Blues Diary” at Stage Club in Larissa? I‘d say “a great rock night to remember”.
Allochiria were the first band to appear on, and from the very first minute they seemed quite comfortable up there. They focused on their recently released debut album “Omonoia”, and their mixture of post metal with psychedelia, gained the –still gathering at the time- audience’s interest from the beginning. The great quality of the sound during their set is the result of their decision not to play extra loud, and this made their doomy parts sound crystal clear and heavy as fuck. The only unanswered question after Allochiria’s performance, is how such a cute face like - Irene, Allochiria’s singer - can produce such great and convincing sludgy vocals, but I guess the answer will be given another time…
Up next, it was Beggar’s Blues Diary turn on stage. At this point I have to admit that this was the very first contact I had with their material, and I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that they play some heavy rock n’ roll stuff. The vocal lines sometimes reminded me of the early Motorhead, and the rhythm section was solid and groovy throughout their whole set. After watching them live for the very first time, I have to tell you folks, that their energetic groovy rock is the best way to give you a good mood, and yesterday (24/4) this reached its peak among the crowd when they decided to cover Neil Young’s “Rocking in the free world”. Being the definition of “feel good” band on stage, Beggar’s Blues Diary set the temperature in the proper levels for what was about to follow.
After nearly 45 minutes, it was Planet of Zeus’ turn to set foot on stage. This was their fourth visit in Larissa in the last 6 years if I’m not mistaken, and the flourishing bond between the band and the local audience was reflected perfectly in the high attendance of the crowd which nearly filled up the venue. The riff of the opening “Macho Libre” set in motion everyone in Stage Club and this didn’t come to an end till the very last note of the band’s set. I think that Planet of Zeus is currently one of the very few heavy rock bands in Greece that can cause such energetic reactions among the Greek audience. The confirmation of this notion came when Planet decided to play “Vigilante” -their title song of their freshly released (made available just two days before the gig) third album- and the crowd was singing the “gospel” type vocals by heart! Of course “Vigilante” wasn’t the only brand new song we had the chance to listen. “Burn this city down”, “A girl named Greed”, “The great Dandolos”, “Sky High Heels” were played also, and the combination of their new material with the “old guard” from “Eleven the hard way” and “Macho Libre” made a powerful mix, showing that Planet of Zeus have added extra depth to their arsenal. So, the good sound and the great performance on stage, and the crowd’s warm reactions off stage, made a lot of faces smile by the end of the show, some 90 minutes later from Planet’s first riff.
All in all, it was a great night by three great bands that you should definitely watch live, if you have the chance. Hope to see you again soon lads!
by Vasilis Durden
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