The Machine, Human Asteroid // Six D.O.G.S Club, Athens, Greece // 26.09.2014

Another stoner rock gig is taking place tonight in Six Dogs venue, once again organized and arranged by Elina and SmoketheFuzz gigs. The Machine from Netherlands, a band which has enjoyed performing festivals like Roadburn in the past, visits our country from the very first time, in a special sold out concert. Along with The Machine, the Greek stoner-rockers Human Asteroid will be given enough time to warm up the audience before the headliners hit the stage.

In a sold out venue, Human Asteroid had the chance to show off their skills and their artistic vision. The band performed around one hour of solid stoner rock. The band amazed the audience with their dreamy melodies and the space-tearing riffs. They were a bit stiff but on the other hand they seemed to enjoy every inch, every melody of their music. They even performed one Pink Floyd cover, ‘Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun’. What surprised me the most, was Human Asteroid’s vocalist, who I personally admired because of his voice and his passion. He managed to deliver a warm outcome with integrity while many other stoner rock bands tend to dismiss the vocals’ significance in the genre. When the band finished their set, everyone was satisfied and hungry for more rejoicing.

The Machine’s show was about to start and the trio starts to warm up. They seemed to be in a perfect and lovely mood. Happy for their sold out show, they spoke a bit Greek, words like ‘good evening’ and others which I’m honestly obliged not to mention in this report. With a mood like this, the show started and for approximately one hour and half (maybe a bit more) fuzzy guitars and groove songs would fill the venue.

The band arranged a special show for Athens and this was something visible from the very first time the band walked on stage. They managed to perform various songs and improvise in a few parts a bit. Their acid- hallucinating stoner rock, with the groove and the velocity triggered, are appreciated by the fans and praised as well. They gave the best as they were sweating to give the absolute one hundred per cent of their talent. Their sound was satisfactory, besides the fact that when the David Eering was singing, I couldn’t hear out loud the vocals. The fuzzy, psychedelic guitar sound and the other instruments were suffusing the vocals.

Between kraut, mind blowing riffs and many of their common and well-known songs, the band even performed a new song, probably about to be released within the new record. The new material sounded a bit more bonded and structured, based on some awesome groove riffs of the guitars.

The show ended and Six Dogs welcomed winter with the warm embrace of the fuzz sound. Both Human Asteroid and The Machine were great and gave their best to fulfill the fans expectations. Loaded with new material and older, classic songs, the two bands forced the night to get high.

Report: Kostas Tsotsanis
Photos: Sofia Theodorou