November 9, 2001

Sonic Boom : Spaceland, Los Angeles

Sonic Boom sings about a 'Revolution' , but this show couldn't be less dangerous if it tried...

So, it was exactly 15 years ago, November 1986, that the Spacemen 3 trip started with the release of 'Walking With Jesus'. In their own sick way, the glimmer twins, Jason Pierce and Pete 'Sonic Boom' Kember, set out to change the world. But around 1990 the plan somehow fell apart, and each embarked on their own quest for musical truths.

And what wildly diverging paths, for while 2001 sees Pierce and Spiritualized sailing on top of the world with gospel choirs, orchestras, photo shoots by fiery volcanoes and a chart-bothering album, Kember's career (if you could call it that) spirals ever downwards.

And its never more obvious than tonight. Three days from now Spiritualized will appear on the Tonight Show, a high profile moment being beamed out to millions of households across America. Sonic Boom, meanwhile, has gathered an under-rehearsed rag-tag group (including old band-mate Will Carruthers) to rehash old Spacemen 3 songs in this less-than-cavernous club in downtown Silverlake.

But unlike Pierce, who has taken the opportunity to rework old Spacemen tracks like 'Lord can You Hear Me' into majestic masterpieces, Sonic Boom succeeds in nothing more than sucking the last dregs of life out of his back catalogue. With the entire set barely moving beyond a snail's pace, 'Transparent Radiation' meanders along without spirit, while 'When Tomorrow Hits' verges on narcolepsy. Maybe that's the point.

Dredging up his most famous moment Sonic Boom sings about a 'Revolution' , but this show couldn't be less dangerous if it tried.

Jason Reynolds

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