Baby Woodrose

support N/A
author BV date 15/10/16 venue Pumpehuset, Copenhagen, DEN

It’s been three long years since the release of “Third Eye Surgery”, the last ‘proper’ studio album from Baby Woodrose prior to the critically acclaimed Freedom which came out this September. This also means that aside from spicing up their set-list with rarities and b-sides for the past few years, there hasn’t been any new material presented (aside from the show at Loppen which showcased three of the songs from the then upcoming new album). With that in mind, expectations were skyrocketing just before Baby Woodrose’s completely sold-out Pumpehuset gig – skyrocketing in a manner leading to people stacking up closer and closer to the stage for up to an hour before the show, in spite of there being no support band and no other entertainment than that of the magnificent visuals as well as DJ Slangeklædte Fjergud and his psychedelic mashups of eastern chants, echo effects and various psychedelic records.

Photos courtesy of Stefan Frank thor Straten

Baby Woodrose

At 22:00 Lorenzo Woodrose entered the stage to great applause, quickly accompanied by his trusty band before launching into a loud, rambunctious rendition of “Reality”, the opening track of “Freedom” – thus setting the majority of the tone for what was to come. With the heavily fuzz- and wah-laden guitar solos quickly taking a dominant role in the overall soundscape along with Woodrose’s phenomenally aggressive vocals, it seemed only natural for that band to venture into two fairly aggressive classics in the form of “Disconnected” (from “Money for Soul”) and “Let Yourself Go (from “Chasing Rainbows”), thereby working through some of the ultimate peaks of the band’s discography. The latter in particular was served with such ferocity that the airy qualities of the echo-drenched vocals were almost massively overpowered by the sheer magnitude of the bass-lines and the drum-kit being pummeled quite heavily. In extension of this, it seems only fair to note how well Hans Beck’s drumming and Anders Skjødt’s bass-playing compliment and interact with each other – making it all the more fantastic that Skjødt has returned as a member of Baby Woodrose.

”We’d like to play a few tracks from the new album now” remarked Lorenzo Woodrose before playing the characteristic opening riff of “21st Century Slave” to great applause – either meaning that the new material is massively well-received, or that a majority of newcomers to the music have found their way to Pumpehuset on this night. It could also easily be a combination and, honestly, either is fine by me. With “Open Doors” and its four-to-the-floor beat, people started clapping in time to the music – or tried to do so at least, as alcohol and rhythm don’t always get along. It was a strange sight and not something I’m used to at Baby Woodrose shows (even after having gone to them for 10+ years) but hell, whatever works. “Open Doors” is quite ironically a far better live track than I had initially imagined with its euphoric chorus really getting people going even though the characteristic Farfisa-lead on the verse wasn’t present.

With ”Love Comes Down” the tempo was lowered and we were once more brought on a trip through the band’s discography – this time utilizing my least favorite album, but still one of my favorite tracks overall. The serenity of “Love Comes Down” was short-lived as Lorenzo Woodrose went on to tell the crowd that; ”We’re being told by everyone on social media, on TV, on the news, that we should fear this very specific group of extremists… That we should fear Muslims. But no one’s talking about the lurking fanatics owning several of the buildings near Pumpehuset. A religious sect called Scientology”, before unleashing the beast of a track that is the aptly titled “Mind Control Machine” with its feedback and echo-laden sounds resembling at least some sort of wild madness. The use of “Freedom” in the set-list further solidified the overall feeling of a thematic in the set, mostly utilizing songs about alienation, feeling trapped and enslaved and finally those sporadic peaks of euphoria to counterpoint the overarching thematic. “Freedom” is a fantastic live track, drawing solidly from Richie Havens’ version at Woodstock but then infused with a severe acid-punk attitude via Mads Saaby and Lorenzo Woodrose’s call and response lyrics and their collective affinity for healthy doses of fuzzy soloing. I’d wager it nigh impossible to not at least have mouthed the word ‘freedom’ during the climax of the song where it was repeated constantly like a chant. - If you weren’t feeling that, you probably weren’t feeling the vibe overall.

After thirteen songs, culminating with the ultimate loser-anthem in the form of ”Born to Lose”, the band went out for ”three smokes and some water”. However, few moments later Lorenzo Woodrose returned once more with his guitar slung over his torso, embarking on a small, blissful solo-journey with “Peace”. An intimate showcase indeed, considering that the previous hour was filled to the brim with ferocious riffs, maddening hooks and a generally deafening (but genuinely crisp) volume level in the overall mix. Once more, however, the bliss was replaced with groove and ferocity with “Pouring Water”, an amazing rendition of “A Child of a Few Hours” (probably the longest live version I’ve heard yet) and then finally culminating with “Nobody Spoil My Fun” – one of my favorite Baby Woodrose tracks of all time. It’s hard to find yourself asking for more after a show like this, but I have a single desire, a wish if you’d like. The new material kicks ass, it really does – but whenever more “Blows Your Mind” material can nudge its way into the set-list I get a wee bit happier. But still, this is a minor concern overall and a massive case of being a fan-boy. I know.

9

Setlist:

  • 01. Reality
  • 02. Disconnected
  • 03. Let Yourself Go
  • 04. Information Overload
  • 05. 21st Century Slave
  • 06. Open Doors
  • 07. Volcano
  • 08. Love Comes Down
  • 09. Mind Control Machine
  • 10. Roses
  • 11. Freedom
  • 12. The World Ain’t Round, It’s Square (The Savages cover)
  • 13. Born To Lose

—Encore—

  • 14. Peace
  • 15. Pouring Water
  • 16. A Child of a Few Hours (West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band cover)
  • 17. Nobody Spoil My Fun

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