Moss

I haven’t seen Moss play live since the Rise Above anniversary gig a couple of years back. So I was looking forward to seeing them live again, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. With no bassist, just drums, guitar and vocals, they certainly make an unearthly noise. Singer Olly is up front dressed like he’s just stepped off the inside sleeve of Paranoid, with a large cross around his neck and making supernatural vocal utterances. His clear voice cuts through the massive doom riffs and pounding drumming from the band.
The guitar playing is huge, chords hanging in the air like flying demons and come crashing down with smashes from the cymbals the devil himself is dragging souls down below. They play a selection of tracks from the new album Horrible Night as well as crowd-pleasing favourites like “Tomb of the Blind Drugged.” The set ends with a screaming feedback chord that almost seem to go on forever until it is cut brutally short. This appeared to be their last date of the tour with a promise of more dates in the autumn.

http://freq.org.uk/reviews/live-reviews/moss-purson-black-magician-underworld/

You would never guess that Moss are from Holland. They have a polished indie sound that rivals even the biggest of British or American bands but also carries with it their own distinct European flavour. Formed in 2003 Moss have come a long way from when they used an old bomb shelter as their rehearsal space and now 4 albums later, they make a big impact on stage every time they play.

Beautiful guitar textures are a strong fixture in the Moss sound, with the different lead lines and chords all forming a woozy cloud of melody that floats over the tumbling drums and deep bass. With a slight groove to their step, Moss’ sets always get the crowd moving but they can’t hide the powerful sense of melancholy that is carried in frontman Marien Dorleijn’s impassioned vocals. Everything about Moss, from their vocals, their instrumentation and their songcraft, is top notch and if they continue to play at this high a level they may soon be making a splash in many many more countries.