Ozric Tentacles - Sunrise Festival

What a cool release this is! The Ozrics live with Merv and Joie. They had only featured on the Fridge videotape before, which had a few problems with its sound, but there’s no such thing here. The sound is great (though I can’t hear a thing Ed says between the tracks). The band is on top form, even though they hadn’t done a gig together for donkey’s years before this one. You’d expect Merv to be all over the place, as he hadn’t played the drums since ’94, but he’s fine, though maybe not as great as in Underslunky. Joie proves that he’s a natural for the synth/keyboard post in the Ozrics with his trademark bubbles and melodic solos.

The setlist’s ok, and it includes a never-heard-before (or after, for the matter) jam, aptly titled Sunrise Jam. Really cool stuff here, classic 90s Ozrics style. Since the Eat Static boys are back in the fold for the gig, don’t expect anything after ’94. In fact, the most recent tunes are from 93’s Jurassic Shift.

Highlights, you ask? Jurassic Shift (Ed’s guitar solo in the second half is extremely psychedelic), Sunrise Jam, The Throbbe in yet another incarnation, and a great one too, with, well, throbby synths, Eternal Wheel (how could it not be a highlight?) and White Rhino Tea.

On the downside, I have to admit I missed Jon’s flute climax on Erpland. What with the classic line up present and Jon hugging Ed at the side of the stage at some point (Dream Machine, Jon’s current band, also appeared at the festival), you can’t help but feel a knot in your throat. Also, though Tidal Convergence makes its first live appearance on DVD/video here and it’s fine (mega strange ending), I still wonder what Sploosh would sound like with Joie (you can see the title in the setlist stuck to Ed’s keyboard), as I’ve never witnessed that. Another thing is that the DVD is much shorter than the average Ozrics gig, due to the fact that it was a festival appearance and, because of time restrictions, The Throbbe only appears on the DVD. Finally, once again there’s this insistence on ‘enhancing’ the gig with digital mandala-like visuals, though they look much better this time and are used in moderation.

In the end though, seeing Ed, Joie and Merv together on stage after all those years and the sheer quality of the music presented makes you forget all the reservations and surrender to the righteous spacey psychedelia unconditionally while you’re watching the DVD or listening to the CD. Pity this line up was only together for this one show.