LONDON: Helgi's

Saturday 7th March, 2020

7:00pm

Event information

Helicon - Glasgow psych rock heavyweights

Glaswegian psychedelic heavyweights Helicon
have just released their second album, the aptly- titled ‘This Can Only Lead to
Chaos.’ on January 24th via Fuzz Club, it follows on from their 2017
self-titled debut and a recent three-track ‘Zero Fucks’ EP, released earlier
this year. A 9-track effort, it sees the band delve even deeper into their
self-confessed “evil psych rock with smatterings of sentient sitar” - coming
out of the other end with something more raw and heavy, and far closer to the
all-consuming live show that they’ve spent the last decade frying minds with.

As angry and acerbic as ever, vocalist and
guitarist John-Paul Hughes says of the themes explored on the album: “We are
living in unprecedented times. This age of greed, individualism, fear,
ignorance and manipulation of the masses has brought us to the point we are
electing predatory liars and con men who bully and discriminate, then wear it
as a badge of honour. They encourage and embolden others to follow suit then
wash their hands of the consequences like some fucking modern-day Pontius
Pilate and his privileged prick pals. We live in a society that denies climate
change. We make stupid people famous. The Sun is the best-selling newspaper. Ed
Sheeran is named ‘artist of the decade’. There are more food banks than
McDonalds in the UK. The whole shit house is going up in flames whilst fuckwits
watch Love Island and flick through which filter to apply to their latest
selfie.”

As such, JP says the album – made at
Glasgow’s Anchor Lane Studio with Luigi Pasquini (The Cosmic Dead, Trembling
Bells, Acid Cannibals) – is inspired by “the rejection of mediocrity and
mundanity. A shared spirit of rebellion that things can be better and the
fucking balls to make it happen.” So, how do Helicon go about sticking a finger
to the mediocre? Through a shape-shifting blast of transcendental sitar,
oscillating synths, motorik basslines, echo-soaked vocals and huge walls of
guitar thick with phaser and fuzz, cranked all the way up to 11. On their new
album, Helicon have emerged with a record that sees them at their most
forthright and ambitious and–delivered with the kind of wit only five
disgruntled Glaswegians could muster–it couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

Ghost Patterns
Formed in 2019, the band have quickly gathered attention in the shoegaze/psych scenes, including bagging a London support slot with Desert Mountain Tribe tribe for the renowned London indie label AC30. Their single ‘Disappears’, obtained radio play on Amazing Radio/ The Reverb (UK) and on the Part Time Punks show on KXLU 88.9fm, Los Angeles, alongside the likes of Slowdive, Galaxie 500 and DIIV.

Elements of their influences can be traced back to late 60's psychedelia, the British 70’s-80’s independent post punk scene through to the 90's shoegaze/ U.S. alt rock scenes. Expect swathes of layered guitars and icy synth textures washed in reverb, juxtaposed with pounding bass lines and abrasive drums to round off the sonic palette.

tickets £6
8pm