Oneida - Live Jug of Ale, Moseley, Birmingham 2005

Oneida are one of my favourite bands. I'm not sure how to categorize them, as they tend to fall between stools, musically speaking. Are they psychedelic, post rock, noise or garage punk, who knows? In turns they can be noisy, gentle, repetitive, poppy, whimsical or full on crazy. The songs can be finely crafted, or full on psychedelic jams and as a unit,  they are TIGHT, I mean you couldn't slip a pin between the interlocking jams. A simple nod or word takes them off in totally new directions, it's a wonderful thing to experience, plus, the stage banter is funny as F*** too.
I've only been lucky enough to catch them live once, in a sticky hole, a few miles up the road. The audience numbered about 30, at least half of which had turned up to as friends to the middling support act, whom made such an impression, I couldn't even tell you the name.
I gotta say, I felt bad for Oneida, a shitty audience in the arse end of nowhere. Me and my pal Manchester Charlie whooped it up big time trying to make em realise that there was some love and appreciation in the room, but we still couldn't fill the empty space of dead chin stroking buttflaps. But, y'know what! Oneida rocked that joint till the ceiling shook. It is, by far and away,  THE  second loudest gig I have attended. So much so, that I still have slight tinnitus from the gig in my right ear. (Actually, the loudest gig was the SWANS in 1985, at another local shithole, now sadly closed, called The Mermaid. If you know the SWANS from those early records, you'll appreciated the electricity of the latent violence, the claustrophobia and oppresive atmosphere that came to exemplify those early gigs.)

This isn't the best recording of Oneida live, the sheer volume saw to that, but it's worth a listen nonetheless as it's tight, and they play most of my favourite songs up to that point.

Oneida live, though not in Birmingham.

Hear itHere.