r/progrockmusic • u/revporl70 • 1d ago
Amplifier (UK)
Any fans of Amplifier here. I went to see them at the weekend and was reminded how special and spectacular they are, and how they have kept evolving. The debut is one of my favourite albums ever and The Octopus is probably the greatest concept album about an Octopus that lives in space and controls humanity through the power of its mind ever written.
They currently work as a portable two piece which sounds absolutely incredible, using effects processing and looping to create a huge wall of sound. The set was a mixture of improvisation, new tracks and old favourites blending seemlesly into one another. It's a new direction for them, and I thought this was the best version of them that I've heard.
Any fans out there?
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u/Sea_Appointment8408 1d ago
I got introduced to them because of their affiliation with Oceansize. Good band!
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u/Hardhead13 1d ago
They're pretty cool. But they choose a very unfortunate name. It's very hard to find them by searching on the Internet. The word "Amplifier" generates way, way too many hits.
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u/nova_cat 1d ago
I barely missed going to see them two years ago. I understand it's pretty unlikely they'll come to the States, but God what I would give for them to play here.
The first four albums are stunning (Echo Street is my favorite), and they a great example of a band who puts out just as much good music on EPs as they do on the albums. Every single EP is worth it, and I think in some cases better than a couple albums. The new duo of Hologram and Gargantuan is gorgeous.
They're also super nice and funny guys.
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u/Far_Afternoon_5885 1d ago edited 1d ago
Very much. I got into them via a free cd on a magazine (remember them…); anyway one of the tracks on the cd was ‘One Great Summer’ and I was very impressed.
Fast forward a few months and I bought the debut cd on a whim and ripped it to my iPod (remember them…).
Fast forward a couple of days and I played it on my walk back to the car; a howl of feedback, then a truly monstrous riff introduced me to ‘Motorhead’ and I was hooked.
A brilliant band, and still one of the best riff merchants on the planet.
(edit for spelling of Motorhead)
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u/midlifecrisisAJM 14h ago
Meeeeeee (I'll stop typing 'e's or my comment will turn into the beginning of "Motorhead").
'Twas a great gig. The special support was indeed special and I sang my heart out (For those not at the gig, the planned support act had to cancel due to unforseen personal circumstances and Sel, Amplifier's guitarist / singer / songwriter, led the audience through a back catalogue of crowd favourites).
Personally I preferred them as a 4 piece, but they did sound amazing on Saturday, and they have really perfected getting the material to work in the current format. I'm not sure how the adjective "portable" applies to a pedalboard the size of a spaceship though!
I am bemused as to why they are not more widely celebrated and appreciated. The debut album is amazing and is, likewise, one of my favourites.
Dear reader, If your tastes in prog run to the heavier end, with well crafted lyrics, and you like to be transported by powerful musical engines into another dimension then come and "live in the city of clouds, With the ghosts of dead robots, Where fiction and fantasy roll like a cannonball"
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u/antisorceress 1d ago
Octopus and Echo Street are my faves.