Kult Country

A gig that is foreshadowed by the death of a rock icon and anticipation of the “biggest storm in decades” is almost assured a certain degree of celestial ambience. That said, Manchester doom-romantics Kult Country displayed an irrefutable gift for creating songs of divine beauty.

Opening with a thundering rendition of The Velvet Underground’s ‘What Goes On’, there was no let up in the intensity or volume (something the cantankerous Reed would most probably have approved of). Frontman Yousif Al-Karaghouli is a ferocious ball of energy. He thrashes his guitar around and howls down the mic with authentic abandon. The band together absolve a reverential sound, equal in its sincerity and aggression, which should be knocking down whole cathedrals of followers rather than just 20-odd people in a pub. Utterly sublime.

The Hope,  27 October 2013

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