GOAT & ALISON COTTON
Cripes-a-Lordy, GOAT deliver an immense set, whilst the beauty of ALISON COTTON is rather overwhelmed by audience chatter:
Sometimes, the right act is in the wrong place. Tonight, that is ALISON COTTON. With a sound that recalls the varied likes of Nico’s Marble Index, King Creosote & Jon Hopkins’ Diamond Mine, Lankum (and spin-off of sorts ØXN) and Unthanks, this struggles to compete with the chatter from certain sections of the audience. Don’t get me wrong, I really like what Alison does in the studio. Live, tonight, backed up by Chloe Harrington, I still enjoy it but that chattering detracts and make it seem a bit samey: in the right room, with a receptive crowd, this could’ve been beautiful.
Well, well, well, what a set GOAT deliver. Initially, at least for the first song or two, things don’t quite work for me. I love bass guitar and the Rickenbacker is pretty much my favourite sounding bass ever but sometimes there can be too much of a good thing: that bass overwhelms the guitars and vocals and, well, the lines don’t really quite come together. A few minutes in and it all gels, however. The mix hits a sweet-spot where everything hits the right level and Goat deliver a superbly danceable mash up of psych and desert blues. Without sounding like either, it brings to mind a near perfect a mix of early Hawkwind and Tinariwen.
Leaving aside the (self) mythologising, which has it Goat originates from Norpilombolo in Sweden, in a main set and two encores, 90 minutes and 13 songs, Goat deliver a hyper-intense set that barely lets up on the energy levels throughout. Highlights are main set closer Ouroboros, opening encore Queen of the Underground and final encore Run to Your Mamma are immense.
Being totally frank, this is not the best show I have seen this month, let alone this year but I honestly believe this to be one of the best 10 sets I have seen in a 2024. And that is meant to be high praise indeed.
