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Lana Death Ray

Jul 07, 2024 By Nick Roseblade Photography by Nick Roseblade Web Exclusive

You know the expression, never judge a book by its cover? Of course you do, it also works for bands. Lana Death Ray, Slag and Rottweiler all shared the bill. Each band was relatively unknown but there, slightly abrasive names didn’t prepare me for what was in store.

Rottweiler took to the stage first. From the opening moments of “Revelations” I knew I was in for a treat. Their music kind of lives up to its name. Or the idea of the name at least. The song ripples with power, but also has a touching, playful, side. Front woman Jessica stalked the stage. Like a caged big cat at the zoo. She was intimidating with the kind of vocal range that jumps from hardcore intensity, almost inaudible whisper and full-on guttural scream. In as many moments as you took to read this. I normally don’t feel the need to describe what people wear, but Jessica was dressed in a formal pink dress, fluffy pink tiara with white face makeup and pink blood oozing from her eyes. Think possessed prom queen and you are on the right lines. It gave her performance a whimsical feel that slightly took the edge off her explosive vocals. The standout track of the set was their debut single “Man You’re Fearing”. The recorded version feels slightly flat compared to the live version, as it explodes from the stage with vim and vigour. The only downside to the gig was some of the songs had solos that weren’t needed, but if Rottweiler can record these songs with the same passion and velocity as the live show, they’ll have an incredible debut album on their hands.

Slag took to the stage next. When I was telling a friend about the gig she wondered if they were into geology. I think its safe to say they are, but of the rock music variety rather than minerals in the soil. This was the band I was most interested to hear as they have a limited online presence and no full songs. Just snippets of live performances. Their secret weapon is singer songwriter Amelie. Her vocals are similar to Jeff Buckley and John Martyn. There is a power to the words she sings, but underneath it is a vulnerability that is impactful. The music has a poppy slacker vibe, but the music is complicated without being, well, wanky. As their set progressed, I realised I was writing less and less. I was being pulled into their music. That isn’t to say that the crowd was in stasis. Portions were bobbing about, dancing and swaying. One song started with a hypnotic guitar riff that Amelie played to perfection that I had to check that it hadn’t been looped. When the chorus kicked in, it was full of chugging power chords, before that riff kicked in again. There is something about Slag’s music that makes me convinced they’ll be massive. They have the songs. The look. The stage chemistry and that voice.

The final band of the night was Lana Death Ray. The band’s name fits right in with that type of band that adds two pieces of pop culture and tries to be subversive, at best, or funny, at worst. You know the bands I’m talking about like Ringo Deathstarr, Joy Orbison, Sly and the Family Drone, Harmonica Lewinsky, Con Truise and Terror Wogan. The joke kind of works, but also kind of not. When I see these bands mentioned I always wonder if they took a ridiculous name because they knew the music wouldn’t stand up on its own. With Lana Death Ray the jury is still out. The music was indie psych lite. Think of a slightly heavier Temples and you are on the right lines. The melodies were good, and the band had crafted some good moments, but it didn’t quite land as the previous bands had. At the start of the set the band started playing some rousing indie psych, then the singer, who looked and sounded like James Edward Bagshaw from Temples and Robert Harvey from The Music, walked on stage. After a few bars, the song was cut short. The singer walked off stage again and they tried it again. This time it met the band’s approval and they carried on with the song. I both admired, and questioned, this behaviour. Why do the walk off/walk on section again? We had seen behind the curtain and knew the line up. Simply starting the song with everyone on stage seemed like the logical thing to do. On the other hand, I admired the commitment to the bit. Lana Death Ray had in their heads this is how to start their show, so why not redo it if it didn’t work 100%? For the rest of their set, I had a feeling of calling a mulligan and restarting the gig if one bit of it went wrong? As the set continued the music became more raucous. During “Skin” a pit appeared. Unfortunately, it was filled with four people trying to slam dance and mosh, while the rest of the crowd had to move out of the way. It felt half hearted at best. It was moments like this, along with the opening moments, which created a disconnect between me and the music. Which was a shame as Lana Death Ray had some good ideas and awesome melodies, but it was missing that killer song, or stage presence, that the previous two bands had.

All the bands on the bill are, fairly, new and still finding their feet live. With a few more gigs under their belts, I’m sure any teething problems will be overcome and the fully formed, and realised, versions of the bands will emerge. I’m proper looking forward to seeing how they evolve and for Slag’s total musicality domination.