Live Review : Graveyard + Kadavar + Polymoon @ Academy 3, Manchester on May 4th 2023

The blues are the foundation on which all modern music is built. If you slice hard enough into any current genre, be it black metal or be it trap hop you will eventually find the blues. It is a quintessential cornerstone of everything we consider to be rock, pop, dance or metal. Sometimes it's a hidden, almost silent ingredient, but in others, it is worn very much on the sleeve. Tonight, is a case of the latter as this is a trilogy of young (-ish) bands delving into the past and creating authentic retro-blues rock that sounds like it has been plucked from an episode of old Grey Whistle test circa 1971.

Polymoon hail from Finland and are self-professed purveyors of progressive psychedelia. Essentially music to take magic mushrooms to. It's all swirling repetitive riff, endlessly circulating in a not-unpleasant manner. The vocals are sadly so far down in the mix that is impossible to discern whether Kalle-Erik Kosonen is singing in Finnish, English or some made-up language of his own volition (don't scoff it's been done before). However, what is most edifying is watching a bunch of lads young enough to be my kids tackle the forgotten art of psychedelia with such enthusiasm and authenticity. Their stage persona is obviously modelled on Midwhich Cuckoos - the University dropout years, and they are as interesting to watch as they are to listen to. 

It is obvious that this is a true double-header event as it becomes clear that there are as many people (if not more) here to witness the bluesy brilliance of Berlin's Kadavar as there are those who have gathered for tonight’s night’s erstwhile headliner Graveyard. Now expanded to a quartet with the addition of Jascha Kreft on guitar, the first revelation is how heavy and raucous this new incarnation of the band is. In the past, Kadavar have been content in painting lethargic, laid-back blues masterpieces. But here in Manchester they have put their hard rock pants on and decided (Matthew) that tonight they are going to be early Black Sabbath.

It's quite hard to put your finger on what the additional ingredients are that Jascha brings to the table (aside from more guitar) but everything sounds wider, deeper, and just more driven. There is a fundamental authenticity to what Kadavar are doing. They are not just mining from the past, they are faithfully recreating it for Generation Z. There is such enthusiasm, candour, and devotion in what they do. Each and every track is lovingly assembled, and you can see the adoration and effort in Simon Boutelop’s eyes as he pounds away at the bass, contorting his face into a wonderful selection of vibrant expressions.

Whilst this tour is nominally in support of 2020's Covid spawned “The Isolation Tapes” we don't have to get anything from it, nor from the previous year’s “For the Dead Travel Fast”. Instead, in almost equal measure, they exclusively present tracks from their first four records. ‘Doomsday Machine’ unfurls in a cacophony of hurtling guitars and warm resonation. Their songs may seem like facsimiles of gems from a time long past, but they are filled with such character and unbridled passion that the blatant plagiarism is not just ignored but embraced. 

There is obvious dissatisfaction from the crowd as they plough into closing number ‘Purple Sage’ and Christoph Lindemann indignantly exclaims that they have only been given 50 minutes. However, he does dangle the tantalising news of a forthcoming album and the prospect of further shows to support it. The honest truth is we could have all listened to much much more and we wait with bated breath for their return.

Whilst Kadavar decided to go down the full-throttle route, Graveyard instead opt for a much more sedate and meandering path. ‘Hard Times Lovin’ is an interesting choice of an opener, as it is a slow brooding number that oscillates with sultry atmosphere. However, they are vindicated in their choice as it perfectly matches the audience’s mood. The vigorous flagellation that we had seen during Kadavar is replaced by a much more reflective and contemplative approach. The crowd want to soak in the set and just bathe in the relentless tides of sensual blues.

The limited stage time (like Kadavar before them, they get a scant 50 minutes) means that they have had to take a machete to their setlist. Interestingly what they decide to retain are the slower, atmospheric numbers synching completely with the mood of the audience. They battle with numerous sound issues but still manage to create wonderfully evocative atmospherics. There is so much heart to what they do and you can feel the emotion spilling out of each and every track. There is something incredibly cathartic about their slow-burning torch songs, like you're listening to somebody bearing the innermost contents of their soul.

Simple yet simultaneously vastly complex, they create cathedrals of intricate sorrowful notes. There is a wistful elegance to their music, refined but still full of pathos and passion. Closing number ‘The Siren’ arrives far too soon and even when they depart the stage the crowd stand about for a good ten minutes in mass disbelief that there is no encore. Graveyard are reinventing the blues by pulling it back to its emotional core. Tonight, even with the echoes and the fluctuating static, they are simply divine. A unique excursion into the true soul of music. If you didn't shed at least one tear during the show, then my friend you are truly dead inside.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Graveyard, Kadavar, Polymoon