REVIEW: Hidden Charms, Edge of the Wedge, Southsea

The buoyant crowd were ready to fly when London psychedelic rock quartet Hidden Charms bounded on to the stage and started the engines. Then, blast off!

By The Newsroom

Published 1st Feb 2017, 10:33 BST

Updated 1st Feb 2017, 10:38 BST

They look the part, undernourished in a cool late-60s’ way. With the accelerator cranked to hypersonic, they talk a good fight, and leave you shaken and stirred on the floor.

Hidden Charms’ lengthy set never slipped into psych-folk whimsy, with no songs about lemons, cats, or girls called Julia. They took the crowd to the dark side, out at the grooviest end of the galaxy to battle forces beyond the known normality.

Vincent Davies’ sinuous, subsonic bass added to the hard, danceable voodoo-delic rhythms.Guitars and keyboards swooped, screaming and twisting alongside strong vocals from three singers.

It was less Hawkwind and more like a full-on dust-up between Primal Scream and Captain Beefheart. Watch out for their peacock feather and pigeon mask attire.

There is nothing hidden about this terrific band.

JIM CRUTTENDEN

Southsea London