Black Bonzo LIVE!
July 23, 2010 at The Luminaire, London, UK
by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer
Call the trend retro or retrograde, but nostalgia has been de rigueur on the Swedish rock scene for the past three years. Be it 80s-style hair metal revivalists emulating early Motley Crue, or old-school prog-rock enthusiasts with their vintage Moogs, bands trading in reminiscence is what keeps the Swedish rock scene going these days.
Last week Black Bonzo have proven how seriously – and how far – a band can take its love for a bygone era by delivering their 90-minute set at London’s Luminaire with unsmiling aplomb and plenty of rigour of purpose. From slow-mo borderline psychedelic numbers a la Jefferson Airplane to full-on Zeppelin-esque stompers, Black Bonzo remained right on the money song after song. Not once did they deviate from the 70s cannons and not once did they let a single whiff of the 80s and 90s slip through their tightly woven mesh of retro constructs. After all, style is about saying a constant “no” to things that may throw you off your course. And saying “no” is precisely what this band excels at, delighting their English audience on the night. Black Bonzo’s fellow lovers of old-school prog here in London may have been small in number (about 50 people in the crowd on the night), but certainly big on heartfelt support – cheering and dancing all the way the set, as well as insistently asking for an encore.
It is endearing how much rigour and commitment the band puts into recreating the 70s vibe while having a serious go at making this vintage language be their only means of communication. At times you wonder if their identity is a result of a connoisseur’s passion for the past or a carefully constructed musical experiment. After a while, however, they convince you it’s the former. Their chops may not be virtuosic (one element where they deviate from their protagonists), and their tunes may not be uniquely original, but the sheer flair and honesty of their performance spoke volumes about the passion behind their finely constructed act.
It’s just that somehow Black Bonzo have meticulously taught themselves to recast their feelings and emotions in terms and requisites of some 40 years ago, but toward the end of the show no one was left in doubt about authenticity of the band’s motivations. From the subtlety of keyboard-driven hippie slow-burners to space-rocking fire of Zeppelin-inspired barnburners there is an honest, authentic feeling running through the heart of Black Bonzo’s act. Something that may not turn them into an arena band any time soon, but will guarantee appreciation among a certain kind of crowd.