Electrasy

July 18, 2024 0 By Jon

Finns. Weymouth

Last week Brit Pop era band Electrasy played an intimate show at Echotown studios in Dorchester, showcasing tracks from all areas of their illustrious career. The Dorset band who formed in 1994 burst onto the music scene that was full of lad culture, new recreational drugs and Gallagher swagger. The band got themselves a record deal, performed two live performances on Chris Evan’s Channel 4 TV Show “TFI Friday” and appeared on the “Other Stage” at the Glastonbury Festival in 1999. They also got themselves in the Guinness Book Of Records for having 4,400 custard pies thrown in three minutes as part of the music video to their single “Best Friend’s Girl”.

Like with so many band’s dreams of stardom, things did not work out as the band hoped and their flirtation with stardom was short lived. Though the band felt like they had unfinished business and returned to the studio to record their 4th studio album “To The Other Side”, released in July last year. The Echotown gig hosted by studio owners Nick & Grace Capaldi with engineers Gareth Matthews and Jamie Parker reignited interest of this highly underrated band.

The band feature Ali Mckinnell on Vocals, Nigel Nisbet on Guitar/Backing Vocals, Steve Atkins on Lead Guitar, Alex Meadows on Bass/Backing Vocals and Chris Page on Drums. The five members now all live across 4 continents of the world; but the chemistry, creativity and friendship is still strong enough for them to regroup for this run of UK gigs. Tonight the band return to where it all started over thirty years ago in a venue situated in the seaside town of Weymouth in local music venue Finns, where they had their very first gig.

Tonight the place is packed with a host of faces from the past and present. Family, friends, fans and musicians squeeze into this grass roots venue for what is billed to be an electric (sic) evening full of ecstasy.

Electrasy 1–2–3

Kicking off with “23rd Century Girl”, the band put the venue’s considerable sound system through its paces and they show off the many layers to their creativity. Guitarist Nigel is the wizard of the band and using his many effects creates some wonderfully atmospheric sounds from his various effects pedals. He is using a custom made Rickenbacker 6 string guitar with the same shape (slightly smaller body) as the Rickenbacker 4003 bass famously used by Motorhead’s Lemmy.

The band have a plethora of influences from Bowie, Pink Floyd to Radiohead, from Duran Duran to Led Zeppelin, along with various injections of Rap and Dance music. The freely drug taking 90’s are hugely influential and their lyrics contain more than just a passing reference to them. Bassist Alex with his mop of curly hair does his best Adam Clayton impersonation which provides some rock solid work, together with drummer Chris who is equally adept at providing the much needed creative rhymical patterns.

“Lost in Space” and the epic sounding “Aurora” provide evidence that despite being 30 years on, the band have their creative mojo’s and can perform live. There are no more fiercer critics than the ones closest to you and the crowd are enjoying everything that the band have to offer, giving them plenty of positive encouragement. Like she did on TFI Friday back in 1998, singer Roni Blue joins the band for a fine version of the relationship wrecking “Best Friends Girl” and the dance floor fills with a few energetic souls willing to stretch the aging muscles.

By far the most popular tunes of the night are the uplifting, trippy and psychedelic “Rocket Man”; taking us on a cosmic holiday and the possibly the bands best known track “Morning Afterglow”, with the crowd singing the lyrics together with Ali who has done a sterling job all evening with some fine vocal delivery. “Foot Soldierz” is an example of the band pushing the envelope with a rapped-style vocal, coupled with some clever additional work from Steve who uses a PA style microphone to give a heavy reverb effect with yet more wizardry and musical magic from Nigel.

The band end on a high with “Today’s The Day” from their 2021 album “Givin’ It Back” and the crowd show the band the appreciation that they deserve on a great night that I’m sure will go down in the band’s history as one of those great gigs.

Set List
23rd Century Girl
Lost in Space
A Million Pictures
Aurora
You Don’t Get it
Special Forces
Best Friend’s Girl (Featuring Roni Blue)
Givin’It Back
Falling From The Stars
Roll It Up
Cosmic Castaway
Rocket Man
Morning Afterglow
Jesus Was A Junkie
Foot Soldierz
Today’s the Day