Minami Deutsch live at Buyer's Club Liverpool review

Image: Minami Deutsch (credit)

A truly underrated gem of the psychedelic scene, Minami Deutsch are a space rock force to be reckoned with. Their self titled debut album and second album With Dim Light are both masterpieces of droning beats, experimental soundscapes and irregular patterns, and it was a question of whether they could match that truly unique sound live,  but this band manage beyond your expectations, and leave you gobsmacked by the sound they make.

The support act, a brief solo set by Cavalier Songs’ guitarist Luke Mawdsley, set up the small audience of psych aficionados for what was to come. Seated for most of the set, this lengthy musical experimentation, that remains untitled, took the very still audience on a fantastical journey, with a lot of feedback and effects on the way. It was reminiscent of bands such as Boris, the kind of loud, gutsy explosion of sound that hypnotised you completely.

Then Minami Deutsch took to the stage, and as soon as they started playing, they went into a full on sonic attack. The band’s set travelled through the darkness of noise rock, through atmospheric psychedelic territory and sometimes into a jazz beat, and all the songs easily merged into one amazing noise and it worked perfectly. 

One song in particular really stood out as a listener, and made the crowd feel like they were being transported through a tunnel at a high velocity and like with a rollercoaster, they were relishing in adrenaline. That’s what a Minami Deutsch gig feels like; moving at a fast velocity through sound while managing to stay standing still, watching the band in amazement.

The beauty of their set is that with all the feedback and noise created, the tight rhythm section from the drums and the bass is a true anchor for the sound, holding down a groove good enough to bop your head to constantly for an hour.

The beat that Minami Deutsch can hold sets them apart (and perhaps above) from other psych bands, creating an awe-inspiring guitar sound as well as hypnotising you with a beat that never ends. They walked off the stage to the sound of cheers and screams for more music, and it appeared that they truly had left their mark on Liverpool.