Alan Dearling was delighted to meet up with Andy Bell once again in the musical ‘spiritual home’ of Andrew Weatherall at the Golden Lion in Todmorden. Home of ALFOS, Another Love from Outer Space.
After the last psychedelic high-screams from Andy Bell’s Fender guitar ended a memorable GLOK gig, I wandered off to a quiet table to look at some of my camera pics and enjoy a bottle of Henry Weston’s rather wonderful cider.
“Fuckin’ Awesome!” my new friends at the next table muttered. It had lasted for an hour and a bit, crammed full of wall-to-wall sounds. Combined with a swirling tapestry of visual images (from Innerstrings) using back and front projections – indeed, an audio-visual feast for the senses. Andy Bell was a member of Andrew Weatherall’s Sabres of Paradise, and, as he reminded the audience, this was his return visit to the Golden Lion after the Andrew Weatherall 60 years celebration-memorial event earlier in 2023.
But, of course, Andy Bell is a well-kent name and face from the bands, Ride and Oasis. And this ‘bonus tour gig’ was a thank-you to the stalwart fans of Yorkshire and Lancashire. An innovative musical excursion with Andy and his colleagues manoeuvring, as they said, his, “Space Station in low Earth orbit to take the GLOK-mobile for a spin…”
It’s was a relatively rare chance to see Andy performing live without a formal set-list. Musically flying without a seat-belt or parachute, and spectacularly improvising in the mode of his GLOK electronic alter ego.
As it said in advance publicity, it is a world “…where he brilliantly weaves together throbbing dubbed-out acid, levitational psychedelia, Balearic, ambient, techno, Kosmische, shoegaze, art-rock and Compass Point-style post-punk, with his virtuoso guitar playing and musicianship to the fore.” To my mind and ears, it minded me of the repetitive, pounding-beats of early Hawkwind, glissando-layerings in the playing of Steve Hillage with Gong, Nik Turner’s Sphynx and Peter Green’s strangely deranged and damaged playing on his solo album, ‘End of the Game’ from 1971.
Here are some links to his music as GLOK, including his latest album:
GLOK: ‘Gateway Mechanics: Live Electronic Sound’ clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPjnAS-ma5Q
‘Cloud Cover’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIzQWaZBQBY
Andy Bell’s GLOK was most definitely ethereal, In Search of LOUD Space! ‘Out there’ spectral blips, beeps, sensory sonic space sounds…a trip…and with a version of ‘Cloud Cover’, Andy B’s tribute, a nod in homage to Andrew Weatherall. The Golden Lion were entrapped, in thrall to the Andy Bell musical magick!
GLOK – Dissident live video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7pgi8vuEro
Then there’s the Andy Bell and Masal album, ‘Tidal Love Numbers’. This album is made up of four mesmerising, meandering instrumental tracks that combine Andy’s incredible guitar playing with Al Johnson’s analogue synths and Ozlem Simsek’s harp.
Filmmaker, Jean de Oliveira has made atmospheric videos for all of the tracks. Here’s a taster:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5kwSiwYcYE
Able support, beats and musical mayhem came from dj, Timothy Clerkin.
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