Review and photographs by: David Burke
On July 31st Potsville PA.’s Crobot brought their “Drunk As Shit” Tour to the Q&Z Expo Center in Ringle WI., a small rural community of about 1700 in north central WI. When you think of live music a re-purposed grade school “in the middle of nowhere” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but maybe it should be, because Q&Z has been attracting an impressive array of national acts of as of late.
Prior to Crobot’s headlining turn, tour mates Mothership (Dallas, TX.) and Wilson (Detroit, MI.) warmed up the small crowd with high energy sets that had all in attendance primed for Crobot’s self styled “Dirty Groove Rock”.
Opening with “The Legend Of The Spacebourne Killer” from their debut LP, 2014’s “Something Supernatural” (Wind-Up Records), guitarist Chris Bishop, vocalist Brandon Yeagley and brothers Paul and Jake Figueroa, drums and bass respectively, would go on to pummel the crowd with their seemingly endless energy for almost 2 hours.
Playing the bulk of “Something Supernatural” as well as new material and even being joined on stage by their tour mates for an extended jam on The Doors’ classic “Roadhouse Blues”, the band’s non stop energy never wained.
In a show filled with them, some of the highlights were the heavy syncopated funk of “Nowhere to Hide”, the lead single and video from the album, the harmonica drenched boogie of “The Necromancer” and the soulful “La Mano de Lucifer”.
The Figueroa brothers lay down a funky psychedelic backbeat that is a delicate balance of power and groove, leaving enough space for Bishop’s fuzz fueled riffs and Yeagley’s wailing vocals. With passing nods to Led Zeppelin, Rage Against The Machine, The James Gang, Jimi Hendrix and Soundgarden all clashing together, the material is classic yet modern, being much more than just nostalgia.
Having now seen Crobot twice this year I feel they are one of the best young live bands out on the road today. The type of band that in years to come people will be bragging about having seen them in a small club or as the opening act.
For the rest of the year Crobot will be opening for metal legends Motorhead with Special guest Anthrax, a triple bill that you’re going to want to get there early for.
Source: @Crobot Twitter
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