Psychedelic legends Kaleidoscope at Leaf Liverpool

Psychedelic legends Kaleidoscope at Leaf Liverpool

When the Sixties finally ended the band consisting of singer and lyricist Peter Daltrey, guitarist and songwriter Eddy Pumer, bassist Steve Clark and drummer Danny Bridgman were veterans of the forever changing revolutions and evolutions of that decade`s mercurial musical culture. Starting out as The Sidekicks in 1964, they played R’N’B to the amphetamine fuelled Mod circuit before transforming into fully-fledged London psychedelic dandies in 1967. Accordingly they renamed themselves Kaleidoscope. At the fin de siècle of the Sixties they morphed into the more aptly sombre Fairfield Parlour – before enjoying a side project as I Luv Wight especially for the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 where they played on a stage also trodden that iconic weekend by such timeless acts as The Who and Jimi Hendrix. 

With every passing decade since their demise the band’s recorded legacy has continued to rank amongst the most highly prized artefacts that define the psychedelic genre – which is now critically regarded as an essential moment in music history. Their seminal debut album, `Tangerine Dream` is now considered to be one of the finest examples of English psychedelia with original copies of this album fetching in excess of £1000. Similarly 1969’s heavier edged follow-up ‘Faintly Blowing’ and 1970’s ‘From Home to Home’ are also fetching hefty sums. 

Strong original material and unique arrangements form the foundation for Kaleidoscope’s enduring appeal and reputation. Equally their ability to incorporate new studio innovations directly into their music has also contributed heavily – a fact that was acknowledged at the time by Alistair Taylor, The Beatles’ publicist. Despite being multi instrumentalists, like The Beatles, Kaleidoscope also found the limitations of performing live as a quartet prevented them from satisfactorily replicating their studio sound. Consequently the band never strayed further afield than the university college and club circuits of Britain and Europe. 

Following the bands demise, Daltrey continued to write, sometimes in collaboration with other artists. It was during one such in 2012 with Californian neo-psyche heavyweights The Asteroid No.4 for their album ‘The Journey”, that Peter was approached by another key player on the US psyche scene: Rob Campanella from the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Rob was keen to assemble a band of talented multi-instrumentalist’s who could note perfectly re-create the authentic sound of Kaleidoscope, with a viewing to touring and performing some shows. This culminated with a performance in 2012 at Euro Ye-Ye in Spain and in 2013 at The Austin Psyche Festival in Texas, USA. 

Autumn of 2013 then saw a triumphant return to the London stage with an almighty performance at the appropriately baroque: Islington Town Hall. Performing in front of 400 adorning fans, it was here that Peter was re-united with original surviving band members: Eddie Pumer & Dan Bridgeman, whilst this time being backed by Glasgow’s own psyche-folk troubadours: The Trembling Bells. A band with a hugely impressive musical output and perfectly suited to backing Peter, having spent the last couple years also touring and backing another 60’s psyche-folk legend: Mike Heron of The Incredible String Band fame. 

Fans of Kaleidoscope and Fairfield Parlour and devotees of quintessentially English psychedelia are clearly in for a treat.

20.00 THURSDAY 2 APRIL

LEAF

(BOLD STREET)

www.thisisleaf.co.uk

Tickets £12.50adv available ONLINE from

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