Over the past 25 years or so I have travelled a lot for work. On almost every trip I look to see who is playing live if I have a free night to myself. The looking has always been in vain, as never have I been able to make it work and actually get out to see a band play.
This all changed for me, in all places, Vienna, Austria, when I was lucky enough to see Italian psych doomsters Ufomammut (9) on my last night in the country after my work responsibilities were fulfilled. The band does not make it to the States often, and their new album, Hidden, is one of their best in their decades long career (oh, and so heavy), so really, I had no choice to go and no excuse not to. I grabbed my two other co-worker concert going buddies and headed to the Viper Room (no relation to the famous one in L.A. as far as I can tell) for some heavy psych goodness.
The club itself was pretty much a cave, as you walk down a couple flights to get to the bar/stage area. It actually looks like a cave down there. It is small, but perfect for an intimate concert experience. I was a litter nervous going to a show outside of my home country, but everyone could not be nicer, from the guys at the door, to the bar staff, and even the opening band, Lowbau (8), who’s lead singer hung out with us during part of Ufomammut’s set.
The main attraction did not disappoint. Ufomammut played a mix of new stuff from their killer recent record Hidden and some stuff from across their amazing discography, but it really doesn’t matter what the setlist looks like for a band like Ufomammut. The 80 or so minutes was both sonically and visually amazing. The band sounded absolutely perfect, with zero worries about the new lineup. They were super tight and just got right down to business with zero chatter between long jams, but showed obvious appreciation to about the 200 or so rabid fans in attendance. I was not sure what the crowd size would look like, but it seemed a bit small for me, but it was also a Thursday night, so…
The club itself was pretty much a cave, as you walk down a couple flights to get to the bar/stage area. It actually looks like a cave down there. It is small, but perfect for an intimate concert experience. I was a litter nervous going to a show outside of my home country, but everyone could not be nicer, from the guys at the door, to the bar staff, and even the opening band, Lowbau (8), who’s lead singer hung out with us during part of Ufomammut’s set.
We caught most of local hero’s set and they we a really fun bluesy metal band that really had their home crowd going, as they had a bunch of their people there singing along. I did some damage at the merch table too, with the dude working it for the band went above and beyond for the stupid American with no Euros and only a credit card in a cave with very bad WIFI. In my defence I did grab a whole bunch of stuff so I made it worth his time, including a limited run black light cover variant of the new record which is just so damn cool.
The main attraction did not disappoint. Ufomammut played a mix of new stuff from their killer recent record Hidden and some stuff from across their amazing discography, but it really doesn’t matter what the setlist looks like for a band like Ufomammut. The 80 or so minutes was both sonically and visually amazing. The band sounded absolutely perfect, with zero worries about the new lineup. They were super tight and just got right down to business with zero chatter between long jams, but showed obvious appreciation to about the 200 or so rabid fans in attendance. I was not sure what the crowd size would look like, but it seemed a bit small for me, but it was also a Thursday night, so…
Regardless, everyone in attendance was blown always but the sound of this band, from the people who were intimately familiar with the material to the others who were dragged there by their friend, partner, or co-worker. Visually, the band had some psych images constantly going on the screen behind them in sync with the set and were basked in mostly red and blue lights for the majority of the songs, adding the super cool visual aspect to the band’s ultra heavy psych awesomeness. I was told Ufomammut live was a visual experience and I was not disappointed by what I saw.
If you can, you need to experience Ufomammut. The show is a full sensory experience and they are just so damn heavy and tight live. I was so happy I went and didn’t talk myself out of going like I have so often done in the past. Don’t miss this kind of stuff in your life; you may never have another chance to see Ufomammut in Vienna or whatever your decision to go see or do might be.
If you can, you need to experience Ufomammut. The show is a full sensory experience and they are just so damn heavy and tight live. I was so happy I went and didn’t talk myself out of going like I have so often done in the past. Don’t miss this kind of stuff in your life; you may never have another chance to see Ufomammut in Vienna or whatever your decision to go see or do might be.
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