US space rockers Monster Magnet make their first appearance on Tyneside in over twenty years.

Monster Magnet’s music has arguably stood the test of time, with a career spanning in excess of 25 years, which includes nine studio albums.  Throughout the 90s the band’s genre-defying sound grabbed the attention of all manner of rock fans, providing somewhat of a rest bite from the influx of Grunge and Nu-Metal artists that were popular at the time.

The New Jersey-based outfit last performed in the North East of England in 1995 at the original Riverside nightclub on Melbourne Street, a mere stone through from this evening’s venue and coincidently its namesake on the city’s beloved Quayside. Tonight, Monster Magnet make their long-awaited return to Newcastle, to a packed out crowd of loyal Geordie followers.

Last year, Monster Magnet re-released four of their seminal 90s albums from their A&M label days and in particular the Superjudge, Dopes To Infinity, Powertrip and God Says No records. Tonight the band’s setlist largely focusses upon these key records; they open the show a triple whammy of “Dopes To Infinity”, “Radiation Day” and “Powertrip”.

Psychadelic lava lamp like projections and movie visuals are projected onto a screen at the rear of the stage which sets the scene for the night, giving the room a retro feel almost reminiscent of an early Velvet Underground concert and perfectly accompanies the band’s distinctive brand of stoner rock.

It’s been four years since Monster Magnet released their last studio album, but with a new record tipped for a summer 2017 release, the band takes the opportunity to road test one of their freshest cuts. This comes in the shape of “Mind Fucker” and it certainly whet’s the crowd’s appetite for what is to come further down the road.

Mid-set Monster Magnet whips the crowd into a frenzy with fast and furious “Twin Earth”, fan favourite “Look To Your Orb For The Warning” and the punk-tinged “I Want More”, which each, in turn, result in feverish cheers and adulation.

The band closes out their main set with an epic rendition of “Spine of God”, taking the fans back to the very start of their career and their debut record. The song ebbs and flows from slow trippy breakdowns which are intricately interwoven between Dave Wyndorf’s reverb fueled vocal. As the song builds and develops the band break into a heavy groove during which Wyndorf also takes the opportunity to segue a few bars of Don Maclean’s “American Pie” into the mix. The track culminates in searing guitar feedback, which continues to resonate around the room long after the band leaves the stage.

Monster Magnet returns to the stage for a duly deserved three-song encore featuring the anthemic “Negasonic Teenage Warhead”, “Tractor” and “Space Lord”. During the latter of which Wyndorf encourages the audience to break into a mindless rage by screaming ‘Motherfucker’ at the tops of their voice, to which they are only too happy to oblige; pogoing ensues.

With a new record on the way, we look forward to more of what is to come from Monster Magnet. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another 22 years for their return date in the city.

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Event Date: 22-MAY-2017