LSD and the Search for God have become a cult band in their own right within certain musical circles. Their sound weaves heavily around the shoe-gaze genre with both front-man Andy Liszt and guitarist, Chris Fifield congregating about 50 effects pedals between them, this positioned the duo as both elegant dancers as well as musicians – it was a real multi-discipline art.

LSD and the Search for God descended from a different planet alltogether when they emerged on the San Francisco gigging circuit back in late 2005, their sound largely borrowed from 90s shoegaze bands such as Spacemen 3, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine with its monstrous, whirling guitars, gushing vocals and swelling drones – however, it has its own distinct Californian optimism sporadically placed on top; there are hints of The Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin in there with the use of Sophia Campbell’s angelic voice. After releasing their self-titled debut EP back in 2007, the wait has long been in the process for the sophomore effort and upon the arrival of Heaven Is a Place earlier this year, the wait is over and the imminent tour was announced. It was to be a night of exceptional intrigue and quite literally, an other-worldly performance.

Upstairs in The Prince Albert, a thin crowd was huddled around a stage that buzzed and ticked away with The Vacant Lots warming the night up – a band that were to make an exceptionally good support act due to the fact they could have quite easily headlined the night. Synthesisers ticked away with a stark, 4/4 motorik beat undercutting drones – the band whistled through their short set ticking hits such a ‘Mad Mary Jones’ and ‘Paint This City’ along the way. The Vacant Lots do a sterling job of setting an uptight, tense atmosphere and ambience within a crowd – dressed head to toe in black with Jared Artaud’s tinted glasses reflecting the lights in some Sin City, malevolent fashion; guitars are left to drone and buzz around Brian MacFadyen’s sharp tempo. It’s a sound that revolves around vicious droning attacks before then leapfrogging to minimalist electronica – it’s a jarring experience but it is truly unique to this duo.

LSD and the Search for God took to the stage at around 10pm, faces curiously gazed upwards as the mass of effects pedals and musical equipment was packed tightly onto a stage that held five of the members of the group. Swirling jitters began to emerge from Fifield’s amplifier before the group came crashing in behind it, hurtling through tracks from the new EP. Songs such as ‘(I Don’t Think We Should) Take It Slow’ demonstrated their accuracy in finding the groove and the ease as to which LSD could capture the crowd’s imagination and attention. Bodies swayed in time with the gentle, fuzzy washes that wrapped their loving arms around you, it was a hazy red wine moment that was ultimately so immersive it had the potential to transport you to other realms. The rhythm section pounded away below with drummer, Sonya Trejo and bassist, Reed Palmer allowing for the experimentation on the surface. These two members are the real credit to the group and sound dynamic, they allow for the euphoric bliss through their togetherness and organisation. The set-list dipped and dived through both new and old material, standing out was the recent single, ‘Heaven’ that takes on a tamer, more lethargic sound. It demonstrates the swoon that Liszt can pack into his guitar sound and similarly, the volume at which it could erupt through the intimate venue.

The set bended and warped through psychedelic bliss, fuzzy wah effects shaked and vibrated the volume and sound of the guitars, every movement, tap and shimmy on-stage was essential, demonstrating the exceptionally careful musicianship of the duo. Songs such as ‘Starting Over’ evidenced the sensitive, delicate approach that LSD can often take. Crazed and incensed punters at the front of the crowd dictated spaces to writhe themselves around in, one chap took to taking his top off, letting his spilling gut loose and continuing to throw his head towards the monitor, just incase it was not loud enough. It’s characters like this that make gigs so exciting, he personified the cultish appeal that LSD have and put some real endearment into the show. ‘This Time’ continued the touching sway, eyes drifted shut suggesting this is music that really can help cure insomnia, its fluffy grip takes to you like mental sedation, cooing you into a dream like haze.

Shoegaze as a genre has always lingered on the peripheral of music, it’s a sound that can be simply done to death due to the characteristic nature of what constitutes ‘shoegaze’. Many bands have emerged and had subtle stabs at it, be that Yuck, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart or Beach House – similarly, it is very easy to do badly. LSD and the Search for God came about and then instantly descended into obscurity allowing them to be every hipster’s hard-on. What they proved tonight though was their utter worth and credit to the shoegaze genre, they add their own, distinct flavour on a genre that can often be so overwhelmed with try-hards. After meeting them as a group afterwards, a perfect way to summarise is to mirror the words of Liszt and yell, “right on LSD!”
Tom Churchill

Website: https://lsdandthesearchforgod.bandcamp.com/releases
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lsdandthesearchforgod
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LSDandthesearch