The band to kick off this evening of spaced out stoner music was The Liszt. Joined by the legendary Niels Duffhuës the band played a bunch of their sweet and kind rock songs of their record Slaves. The band possesses a very reserved sound that spaces out in every direction. A sweet and just as spacey voice accompanies this.

 

Because the stage was divided in two parts there were two backlines present. So after The Liszt started finishing their set, the guys from Gomer Pyle started to join in and jam together as the start of their set. As the guys of The Liszt had all disappeared, they turned up the volume and noise with their intense and heavy stoner rock. The warm and fuzzy guitar sound immediately picked me up and transported me into a psychedelic dimension. Gomer Pyle was definitely the heaviest band of this evening, so for me also the most enjoyable act. Their collection of stoner riffs is quite high class, and I must say I expect a lot of this band to come. Only minor is that the vocals don’t sound that convincing, but luckily they’re used very minimally. A great band that every Dutch stoner must check out some time!

 

In the back of the Groene Engel there is a seated grandstand. On this grandstand, the guys of The Liszt had gathered to perform another set, only this time acoustically. This made the sound of the band even more sweet and relaxing, a big contrast to the sound of the band before. Again joined by Niels Duffhuës in their third track, the band showcased excellent musical skills in decent and firm songs.

 

Then it was time for the third band of the evening to make its appearance; Flying Fortress. When I heard their record I got the feeling that this was an extremely sweet, poppy rock band. With this live performance this feeling sort of changed, for their loud rocking volume was no match for what I heard on their record. Their easy accessible rock ‘n’ roll sound was still exactly for what I predicted in my review, getting into panties. Most of the people close to the stage were girls and women, and one drunk dude that had the feeling like the best band in the world was playing. I can’t back that opinion, yet it was obvious that this band possesses quite some quality as well. Another great performance this evening, by Flying Fortress.

 

The last band to rock our socks off was Oceana Company. Although my stoned and drunk memory at the time sort of fails me a bit, I can without a doubt say that Oceana Company held the best drummer of this evening in their ranks. Amazing grooves laid down with power lifted the rhythm fundaments of this band to a higher level, even though they were still supporting the sweet melodies of this rock band, which also proved to be louder live than on record. It is a real treat to watch Robert Koole smash his kit, while the rest of the guys throw out some good progressive rock songs. And I have to mention that the vocals didn’t bother me as much as they did on record. Again a band that is better live than on record.

 

Well this wouldn’t be the Space Jam Records Label Night if it wouldn’t be finished with a huge jam of course! So members of all bands came on and off the stage, changing drummers, guitars and vocalists frequently. I had the feeling that this spaced out rock jam could go on for hours and hours, and when I informed about this it appeared they were already thirty minutes over time. I decided to call it an evening here, but I was told that the ending of this jam might just be the best piece of music played this evening. Shame on me!

 

Looking back I have to congratulate the guys of Space Jam Records with this wonderful initiative and I hope they can keep putting out undiscovered gems of bands and keep organizing Space Jams all over The Netherlands. Good luck with everything! See you next time guys!