Hidden Masters, Edinburgh The Voodoo Rooms

The Hidden Masters

March 6th, 2009

This was a great show from a band that deserve a bright future. Mentally, this review’s been written and re-written a number of times trying to properly convey that fact but basically that’s the bare truth of it.

Having only two songs up on Hidden Masters’ MySpace at the moment my initial thought was that, like so many bands of their ilk, that would be it as far as originality in the live set and we’d be treated to a bunch of authentically rendered covers, albeit maybe some obscure ones. How wrong I was. Not a cover version in sight, just 10 or more (yeah OK, I lost count) tracks of their own devising, running pretty much the full gamut of sixties rock-styles and on into the very early seventies. Whilst bearing a passing physical resemblance to The Pretty Things their sound jangles, riffs, hollers and croons across an eclectically groovy spectrum and they never put a foot wrong. 

In a just world, musical taste-wise, their sound would rival Bloc Party’s for interesting “the kids” as it’s got pace, energy and great tunes so standing still whilst they’re playing is pretty much a crime. Unfortunately the audience here were bizarrely unresponsive on the dancing front, a trait inherent in the sixties scene whereby new sounds are respected but only originals seem to trigger dancefloor antics. World domination does not though seem to be their raison d’etre but if they can keep producing work of the quality on offer tonight then they’ll manage to keep themselves happy and cultivate a loyal and devoted fan-base. Keep an eye out for their debut album which is, I believe, in the final stages of post-production (and in need of a cover). 

Having served time in groups such as Bangtwister and The Needles, they’ve a decent historical pedigree that’s clear in their tight musicianship and stage confidence – the rest was a practice, as The Hidden Masters they’re ready to reveal their true nature and take on all-comers. Their March 19th show at Glasgow’s Stereo is a must-see if you’ve ever called yourself a music-lover. 

A quick mention needs also to be made in recognition of Angus and Tall Paul of Bubblegum Boogaloo for continuing to keep the scene alive and providing a live outlet for bands of this quality.

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