Acid Mothers Temple – Mono Cafe Bar

Some bands mellow with age.

Acid Mothers Temple appear to have taken the opposite approach.

I first saw them more than twenty years ago in Edinburgh and it remains one of the most extraordinary live experiences I’ve ever had. Their concerts aren’t so much performances as full-scale sonic expeditions into the outer reaches of the universe. There are moments when it feels as though the band are attempting to bend time, space and several guitar strings simultaneously.

Naturally, I loved it.

Ever since that first encounter, I’ve made a point of catching them whenever they’re touring and I can get hold of a ticket. This latest show marked my fourth time seeing them and Emma’s third.

Thankfully, she gets it.

Not everyone does.

The last time we saw Acid Mothers Temple, we took our friend Marcy along to Dundee. We did warn her in advance that this wasn’t going to be an evening of gentle folk songs and polite applause. To her credit, she gave it a good go, surviving a couple of lengthy psychedelic freak-outs before deciding she had reached her personal limit.

Eventually she retreated outside, later describing the music as “that racket.”

I suppose that depends on your perspective.

What one person calls a racket, another person calls transcendence.

Before the main event, we were treated to a set from Brenda.

Support bands at an Acid Mothers Temple gig have a unique challenge. They need to warm up an audience that already knows they’re about to be launched into another dimension. Brenda handled the task admirably, delivering an engaging set that provided a solid foundation for the evening ahead.

Then the psychedelic mothership landed.

Acid Mothers Temple have never been a band particularly concerned with conventional song structures, commercial considerations or audience expectations. Their music seems to operate according to its own laws of physics. Songs stretch, mutate and evolve into sprawling journeys that can be hypnotic, exhilarating and occasionally bewildering.

That’s exactly why I keep coming back.

No two performances ever feel quite the same. The destination may be familiar, but the route is always unpredictable.

Emma has now seen them enough times to appreciate the method behind the apparent madness. Like me, she recognises that beneath the walls of noise, endless guitar solos and cosmic improvisations lies a band of exceptional musicians completely committed to what they do.

And what they do is utterly unique.

Watching Acid Mothers Temple live is a reminder that music doesn’t always have to be tidy, structured or easily explained. Sometimes it can simply be an overwhelming experience that sweeps you along whether you’re ready or not.

Looking back, this concert reinforced why they remain one of my favourite live acts. More than twenty years after that first Edinburgh show, they still possess the ability to leave me grinning, slightly dazed and wondering what exactly just happened.

Not many bands can claim that.

The videos and photographs below capture some of the evening, including support from Brenda and another gloriously unhinged performance from Acid Mothers Temple. If you’ve never seen them live, I highly recommend it.

Just don’t invite Marcy unless she’s brought earplugs and an escape plan.

This guy came up to me at the end of the gig to ask if I was Billy Watson. He was rather excited to find out I was as he is a big fan of Mike Williams and he has seen me interview him quite a few times.