Goat, Northumbria Uni, Newcastle

With a new album freshly released via the phenomenal Rocket Recordings and a triumphant headline set at this weekends’ Liverpool Psych Fest under their belts, the almighty behemoth that is Goat make their way in to Newcastle in high spirits. But first, the not so small matter of Lay Llamas who, apart from being a photographer’s worst nightmare, these guys don’t half know how to make some noise.

This Italian duo, backed by a hefty psychedelic army, are also fresh from a triumphant set at Psych Fest and boy does it show. They bring Newcastle to their knees. The bass punches you in the stomach as these guys hammer out some pretty heavy psych rock; they can only be described as a gut wrenchingly brilliant support act for the impending madness.

With little relent a set packed full of high octane guitar riffing, we were not left with much time to wait as Goat’s masked crew clear the stage ready for their impending arrival. The majority of the band enter the stage first and fire up their instruments before the two front ladies bound on to the stage in particularly spectacular fashion as always.

Opening up with the lead track from current LP Commune ‘Talk to God’ is a long sprawling psychedelic jam, as both ladies bound around the stage often edging toward the crowd baiting them. Before dancing away. The lights dance almost as fast as the ladies on stage, creating a tripped out feeling as this Monday night crowd looks on in awe at the amazing band before them.

The shamanistic nature of the music lends itself to a ritualistic head nodding from the crowd. We look round and we’re not the only ones who are completely mesmerised and entranced by Goat. They’re not holding back this evening and ‘Disco Fever’ is a krautastic cosmic disco trip, their inimitable style could only be likened to Fairport Convention on a ton of hallucinogens; they flit through the musical landscape, space and time with little regard for convention.

There is something so special about Goat that it’s hard for us to pinpoint exactly what it is, perhaps it’s the mystery behind the masked individuals or perhaps it's their aforementioned disregard for any convention. That said we’re not overly bothered we’re having far too much fun completely giving ourselves up at the alter of Goat.

What we should praise them for though is their impressive array of songs with Goat in the title. Our personal favourite being ‘Goatman’, perhaps the wildest of the goat-based tracks, the awesome swirling guitars that precede the ever-brilliant chanted vocals. With the drums and the percussion it gives off a brilliant tribal feeling; a mainstay in so many of Goat’s songs.

There is however, one track which stands atop of them all, the mighty ‘Run To Your Mama’ from their first album World Music. This track sums up this evening that tribal feeling is ever present the chanted vocals. It has every member of this packed crowd chanting along with them as the band get up to their usual crazy antics bouncing around the stage.

Words cannot express the brilliance of Goat, they’re on of a kind in so many ways they have their own style their own niche. What a fine niche it is to, they command respect and their stage presence is faultless the two front ladies put in an awesome shift at every opportunity this evening. Leaving with our jaws firmly on the floor at the phenomenon we’ve just experienced we cannot praise this band enough.