Deja Vega, Electrifying At Gorilla, Manchester, 1st April 2023

“There’s no better place to be to see the whites of the eyes of a band who are just about to tear my head off and rip me a new one”

I’m still recovering from the epic IST IST gig at Manchester’s Ritz last night as I’m back walking on Whitworth Street. The streets are buzzing as there’s plenty going on as it’s seemingly a night for Manchester music legends gigs. Buzzcocks are playing The Ritz and The Inspiral Carpets are playing at The Albert Hall.  I’m at Gorilla to see Winsford’s Deja Vega one of the latest, most enthralling alternative bands around, not only in Manchester but the UK. If you’ve been to Shiine Onor Manchester PsycheFest you’ll have undoubtedly caught them there. The band are notorious for their unbelievable, dynamic live shows so this should be good.

Beneath the arches on Whitworth Street, Gorilla is full tonight, very full. It’s filled with both hardcore fans and fans new to the Deja Vega live experience, both eager to see them in such a dark, sweaty and intimate city space. I’m delayed so I miss tonight’s supports, but as De La Soul’s anthemic version of Bob Dorough’s “Three is a Magic Number” fades from the PA I’m right in the thick of the crowd at the front of the stage. In hindsight not such a great photographic idea as my camera and lenses are drenched in beer in the energetic mass of the first three songs and I spend lots of the night trying frantically to get my camera up and running again. Nonetheless, there’s no better place to be to see the whites of the eyes of a band who are just about to tear my head off and rip me a new one.

“Pentagrams”, from 2019s self-titled debut album lulls with its quiet, effect driven intro before I’m lifted off my feet by its breakneck speed and the mosh pit around me. “It’s all gone wrong” from the band’s latest album Personal Hell is anarchic and frantic with screaming mind-altering guitar, compelling bass, furious drums and insistent spat-out vocals. Live favourites “Eyes of steel”, “Mr. Powder” and “Spitting Gas” are always taken to a new level played live. Their pure aural power of punishing drums and bold bass lines scream along at rapid speed, but they only scald and never quite burn. It’s manic yet controlled. A full on mosh pit takes over around me as the angry anthemic “Spitting Gas” begins. Tom’s drum assault, Jack’s swell of guitars and effects and Mike’s gigantic bassline are unstoppable.

“Slow and steady” is slow and menacing and is a respite from the organised chaos of the previous songs. Deja Vega sound completely unique. Yes, there’s the blistering drums, bold basslines and haunting vocals, but there’s also Jack’s intoxicating guitar creativity and unpredictability which gives them another dimension.  The epic fifteen-minute version of “The Test” showcasing this to the full. Think “The End” by The Doors or “I am The Resurrection” by Stone Rosesfor its epicness, but turned up to twenty at 120 mph. Jack climbs down into the mosh pit with his guitar and is hoisted onto the crowds’ shoulders never missing a note. He stands on shoulders asking for more while Tom and Mike provide a dynamic backbeat. The sounds he creates back onstage weave together to create an original, intense ‘wall of sound’. It’s captivating as the crowd raise their hands again and Jack is back surfing the crowd. It’s organised chaos and is nothing short of spectacular to watch as Tom and Mike laugh on.

The relevance of “Three is the magic number” dawns on me as everyone begins to file out. All eyes are on Jack during tonights intense performance, but the real magic of the band is the whole. The telepathy between the trio is almost visible, so much so that you can nearly see the signals being sent between them. Their performance is explosive and when they release the energy on stage it translates to light, heat, sound and pressure. It’s an absolute passion for their craft and the need to push sound unpredictably and creatively that comes out in tonight’s performance more than anything.

They’re an electrifying group to watch and I’m sure they are on a similar trajectory to IST IST. Deja Vega are so, so powerful live with a burgeoning fanbase and filling out Manchester venues. When their third album drops sometime in the future, I’m pretty sure they’ll be headlining The Ritz over the road too. As Ben Mills from fledgling band Myria told me Deja Vega are “perfectly calculated chaos”. I for one don’t disagree. Viva Deja Vega.

Déjà Vega are: –

Jack Fearon-vocals and guitar

Tom Webster-drums

Mike Newton-bass

SETLIST

1/ Pentagrams