Spacehog is one of those bands that you either get or you don’t. Like Kula Shaker, the band are somehow catchy and obtuse in equal measure, sassy then serious the next minute. They might be mostly known for “In The Meantime”, one of the best rock songs of the nineties (or any decade), but they have killer tunes sprinkled through every album. Led by poetic David Bowie disciple Royston Langdon, The Resident Aliens coasted into Santa Ana with their nineties grunge-lite meets glam boots on along with some amazing support from dance indie Platinum-sellers Epsom Mad Funkers (EMF) and New York genre-defying upstarts Ecce Shnak. It was an eventful night, to say the least.
The Observatory in historical Santa Ana is a popular venue for many reasons. A great view from the majority of the club, accessible parking, a good location paired with multiple bars and levels, and great bookings make it a fan favorite destination. I have seen top-notch shows there ranging from Mammoth WVH to Soft Kill (before they sadly imploded). I was excited for the stacked line-up and pro venue sound.
The folks in the New York band Ecce Shnak, at first looked kind of cast members of Lost if the TV show had the characters kind of stumble into purgatory from a business casual night at TGI Fridays and take acid to a Black Bananas record. When they started to play I was blown away at the unexpectedly way weirder than I assumed and very original sound. First off, they have excellent musicianship and furthermore draw from some pretty weird bedfellows. Imagine if Talking Heads or Television inspired Mr. Bungle more than thrash and carnival music, and throw in some crazy high-pitched lady vocal acrobatics that you would expect on a Liv Kristine record. “Shadows Grow Fangs” has an amazing sort of bohemian yet truly deeply fucked weirdness like an average person’s Walter Mitty soundtrack boldly reached for untethered ambitious heights despite reservations. Add in some psychedelic influences and guitar chops, cool confidence, and a band that isn’t afraid to speak up for Palestine, and you’ve got yourself a memorable group!
EMF were up next. Many people still believe they are really called “Ecstasy Mother Fuckers”. For being not the youngest lads in the music scene, they certainly partied like it was 1991. Vocalist James Atkin still had his baby soft yet snarky delivery and also said “Mother Fucker” quite a lot. Leaping around like a master of ceremonies younger than his years (and still in classic street wear), James was charming, and the band nearly stole the show. While the crowd was a little shuffleboard on a cruise ship energy level/lackluster during calls and response on the classic hit “Unbelievable,” the band did keep the overall energy high.
Guitarist Ian Dench is a musical genius, flat out. Watching him do his thing was heavenly as a music fan. Dude just knows how to maximize everything he touches. I would kill to work with that guy on something. His chemistry with James also remains top level, and you could tell they were really having fun. It was amazing to hear them do “Reach For The Lasers” and medleys of everything from C&C Music Factory and Technotronic to New Order’s “Blue Monday”, with James joking after the New Order nod that they couldn’t help it because they are from England.
The coolest part of EMF’s fantastic set was probably when they boldly played an in-progress anti-fascist new song that sounded like it had surf influences as a nod to their time in California, Brian Wilson (RIP) and the recent No Kings protests. They also brought out Ecce Shnak’s vocalists to help sing a pro-LGBTQ rights song. Just a super memorable set all around from a legacy act that I will be glad I saw for years.
Spacehog finally took the stage in some memorable and over-the-top regalia, opening with a stomping cover of Tin Machine’s “Crack City.” They touched on material from most of their albums, but only after the whole show nearly derailing when Anthony Langdon literally shoved Royston onto the ground when they bickered about his guitar tuning process taking too long. I may have yelled something like “Don’t be Jane’s Addiction, you twats” and the crowd kept imploring them to cut it out. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and we still got a great, full show. Nonetheless, Anthony has the worst reputation in the band and so should probably try to reign that shit in a bit.
Back to the music, because of one big hit Spacehog’s work often gets translated into the language of capitalism instead of quality. Mainstream awareness often means people judge you if you don’t stay at your biggest heights. A band like Fugazi or (pre-divisive Janet Weiss departure) Sleater-Kinney is somewhat luckier, because people focus more on works as a whole than comparing you to your “hit”. Spacehog, as aforementioned, has loads of great songs. Straight up, they are one of the best and most underrated rock bands ever for having a hit as big as they do. I am a big fan of the earwormy and quirky “Goodbye Violet Race” from The Chinese Album. I also am partial to them because I grew up in Woodstock, NY, and they recorded there back in the day.
“Space Is The Place” had high, power-poppy energy after the scuffle. Royston really brought his unique vocal style and assured cool to “Mungo City”, a fan favorite. “The Horror” brought things down for some poignant reflection, that great intro really hitting. Spacehog’s “I Want To Live” really carries on that Mott The Hoople sort of super catchy and sing-a-longy tradition with ease, managing to straddle being up in the stars and down to Earth with the rabble at the same time. “Earthquake” really clobbered in the best way, Johnny Cragg really whacking the pocket hard on the drums.
When the band eased into “In The Meantime” and the groovy bassline set up everyone for lift off, the whole room was feeling good. Richard Steel hammed it up with Royston near song’s end before tearing into an explosive version of the solo, while looking like an actual Atomic Rooster. It was phenomenal. You could tell the band were loving it and saying in their own way,”… we’re just like you. Just like you.”
Buy the Spacehog music and merch here:
https://amzn.to/4kokiQ1
Buy EMF music and merch here:
https://amzn.to/4ezml2f
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY MORGAN Y. EVANS
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