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AWOOGA @ West Street Live

It is testament to West Street Live as a venue that an establishment hosting live music every night of the week continues to provide special moments and memorable evenings. Tonight’s AWOOGA show was exactly that; and should Sheffield’s peerless space-rock titans go on to achieve the success that we all expect them to, it’s nights like tonight that will be remembered for years to come. An adoring crowd made up of the most diehard AWOOGANs – and a who’s who of Sheffield music personalities – witnessed the band masterfully debut a plethora of highly anticipated new material alongside a growing list of well-loved AWOOGA classics. If opener ‘Temporal’ is any indication of the trio’s artistic future, their upcoming record promises to be one filled with creative riches. Awe-inspiring and essential: the band emphatically mark their return with a display of raucous, doomy riffs. 2014’s ‘Tide’ is greeted with genuine delirium, while ‘Blue Rose’ superbly exhibits the hallmark contrasts of ferocious rhythms and exhilarating textures often associated with AWOOGA. ‘Where the Others Go’ – their best-known song – serves as a worthy prelude to the stupendous finale that is ‘Bandit’, an absolute juggernaut reminiscent of Refused, with shuddering grooves and schizophrenic tempo changes. While most bands the world over can struggle to inspire a significant crowd response with relatively unknown material, AWOOGA have no such problem in inciting a whirlwind of rare WSL mosh pits, followed by an endless production line of crowd-surfers. Tonight was as much a celebration of Sheffield’s proud, incomparable music scene as it was a powerful reminder of both AWOOGA’s status as one of South Yorkshire’s finest rock acts, and the warmth felt by the city towards this special band.
Words: Chris Lord

Photo: Harley Young

 




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