Andy Bell is no stranger to creating musical alchemy and his work with shoegaze legends Ride, Beady Eye, Hurricane #1 and of course Oasis showcase not only what a consummate musician he is, but also what a fantastic songwriter and guitar player he is too.
With GLOK, comes something a little different, fusing together a myriad of genres to create the most intriguing and experimental soundscapes, on record GLOK is a kaleidoscopic whirl of brilliance, but the sonics are elevated even further on the live stage.
This is largely aided by the striking and creative visuals created by artist Innerstrings who has magically created an almost psychedelic whirlwind of colours and shapes that are executed with precision timing to the music of GLOK.
Ably supported by Warmpth who performed an inspiring set whilst charming the crowd, Andy arrived on to the stage in his truly understated style to a warm reception from the crowd. Incredibly humble, we had the pleasure of chatting to him at the bar beforehand and really enjoyed learning more about the origins of GLOK.
Andy has reworked several of the tracks for the live shows from his two GLOK albums ‘Dissident’ and ‘Pattern Recognition’. Alongside a carefully reimagined cover, unreleased tracks and a cheeky snippet of Ride fan favourite ‘Vapour Trail’, the closing track from Ride’s debut album from 1990, the crowd were utterly mesmerised by this aural adventure.
GLOK has allowed Andy to further expand his auditory horizons by fusing electronica with hedonistic guitar riffs as well as incorporating elements of krautrock, synthwave, art rock and techno too as demonstrated with some superb renditions of tracks from GLOK’s stunning debut album ‘Dissident’ with the titular track closing the set.
‘Pulsing’ with its shimmering and ethereal synths is almost cinematic and ‘Cloud Cover’ also made an appearance. All three tracks are multi-layered and almost take on a new dimension with Innerstrings strong visuals.
‘Day Three’ and ‘Memorial Device’ from 2021’s ‘Pattern Recognition’ alongside ‘Invocation’ takes the enraptured crowd into an almost meditative state. With GLOK, you are taken on an intoxicating journey that is truly hypnotic, dreamlike and surreal.
The crowd were treated to the debut of a new track coming from a future album called ‘Magic and Light’ which was absolutely sublime and gave the audience a real sense of what is set to come from GLOK.
Eclectic, bold and euphoric, GLOK will take you for the most extraordinary ride into something that is truly mesmerising.
Photo Credit: Joe Flanagan and Emma Harrison
Additional reporting: Joe Flanagan
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