The Louisiana is a venue in Bristol that has earned itself legendary status, a tiny 140 capacity space situated above the main pub downstairs. Following a fire at the nearby Fleece in 1996 which forced local promotors to hastily find an alternative venue; this little corner of the Bristol dockland has become a firm favourite with both fans and artists alike having over the years played host to an array of really quite big names, Coldplay, Placebo, Florence and The Machine, Muse, The Scissor Sisters, and The Chemical Brothers, to name just a few.
But on this warm, almost summer night, we would be transported back to somewhere more reminiscent of the 70s for an evening of psychedelic hard rock/stoner-doom metal. All of Bristol's rockers, young and old alike (some of the old boys mingling at the back*) had been hitting gigs like these in venues like this since the 70s) packed out the legendary Louisiana, forming a sea of groove-laden headbanging.
*[Later on it would turn out that the back of the venue was the smart choice, not only were you safe from the ebb and flow of the mosh it, but the sound seemed to be at its most clean towards the back, and for such a small sweaty space you ended up in reach of the lonely stream of cool air pumping out of the struggling air conditioning unit.]
First up onto the cramped stage was a local five-piece, the stoner-doom outfit Choir Of The Sun. For fans of Black Sabbath, All Them Witches, and Hawkwind, Choir Of The Sun pull together a soundscape that is vast and polished, producing riffs that are both ethereal yet chunky, creating a classic psychedelic doom sound.
Both in style and ability, the seeming love child of Tim Henson and Tony Iommi, Noah Widdows on guitar is a particular highlight, closely followed by bassist Ollie Iden, who, filled with headbanging energy, kept the crowd engaged throughout. Kudos also go to the frontman, Izaak Hare, for sporting the fur coat for as long as he did in that sweaty little room
Closing the set with their self-titled track "Choir of the Sun" from their debut album, 2025's Dawn, I am excited to keep tabs on these local lads and see what is next for them.
Incorporating a pineapple maraca, a Hawaiian shirt and a poncho, Longheads brought big hair, arguably bigger moustaches, but most definitely an even bigger sound to the Bristol Crowd. Based in South London by way of Norfolk, the quintet kept the groove going with their more modern psych take on the stoner-doom genre.
The sound that these guys produce can at times only be described as mind-bending, with the layering of sounds and vocals lifting you to a different place altogether; you cannot help but groove along to the riffs gifted to us.
Hailing from England's second city, Birmingham, the birthplace of all that we know now to be metal, the self proclaimed "disciples of the riff," Margarita Witch Cult have not only picked up the mantle of the city's most famous sons (Black Sabbath), but are bringing good old-fashioned psychedelic doom hurtling into the 21st century with their subtle additions of both sludge and thrash influences.
Things started with a bang with "Crawl Home To Your Coffin", swiftly followed by "Diabolical Influence" from the 2023 self-titled debut LP, Margarita Witch Cult.
In the first of many banter-ous interactions with the crowd, drummer George Casual welcomed the assembled Bristolians to the "pre-kend" (on this Thursday night) before teeing up a sneak peek of the yet-to-be-announced album with a new track "Bloody Murder".
Bass player Jim Thing is the personification of a rock-star, full of swagger and a command of the stage, not only are his bass-lines fierce, he also provides a near-continuous stream of headbangs and hair flicks. But the skill possessed by guitarist and lead vocalist Scott Vincent is something special, both in the riffs that he shreds but also the quality of his voice; when harmonised with both Casual and Thing, is just... chef's kiss.
"Mars Rover" is a personal highlight, Thing's bass-line is delightfully chunky, with another new track, "Conqueror Worm", which sees a decently sized mosh pit for this intimate venue.
Into the back end of the set now, I'm not quite sure how we got there, but Vincent announces that his "rabbit is called Glen Cooc" shortly before a cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding". The night draws to a close with "Sacrifice" and one last instruction from Casual "if you know this song then sing along to the chorus, it's a piece of piss."
From what was heard tonight, album two cannot come soon enough. But if you want to get a sneak of some of the new material sooner, the band are touring parts of mainland Europe throughout June and July.
