LIVE!!! Deja Vega / Idle Hours at The Ferret, Preston


DÉJÀ VEGA 
w. Idle Hours
The Ferret, Preston
21st October 2023

The short trip to Preston is always a delight of anticipation when a visit to The Ferret is the order of the day. It’s a place where I’ve never had a bad night and was recently saved from the hands of developers by fundraisers, the Independent Music Venue Trust, and a helping hand from Preston City Council. The venue delivers a glorious rock & roll dive bar aesthetic with a friendly atmosphere, crisp and clear sound-system, and a thirst-inducing selection of drinks. Oh, it even serves food and has a nice beer garden for those wishing to catch some fresh Lancashire air. It’s a perfect location to start my birthday weekend celebrations!



So… to the music.


Dripping with a myriad of references to post-punk, late-80s indie, driving shoegaze, and slacker rock, Idle Hours shoot out a well-paced set to warm the Ferret’s belly. Starting with a steady trio of uptempo psych-motorik songs to draw you into the zone, the band seem relaxed and loose, yet tight and in the pocket. Drums skip-along to familiar grooves, but offer up interesting accents that counter and complement the angular guitar riffs in equal measure. This contrast is most noticeable across the schizophrenic pairing of a mid-set disco-nodding number, and the slashing bi-polar rhythms of the finale. A kick-drum malfunction slows proceedings down a tad, but the band don’t let it affect them as they bounce back with a falsetto-infused caustic psych jam in less time than it takes for a toilet-break. Wrapping-up their set with a bow of Kirk Hammett lead-guitar worship and rhythmic math, Idle Hours look in good shape ahead of their upcoming headline gig at Gulliver’s in Manchester.




Strobes flash, dry ice leaks into the atmosphere, and Deja Vega fire up the cylinders with an intense and purposeful sound. Mixing the driving rhythms of punk with a Northern take on psychedelic rock, drums and bass grind out a groove whilst textured guitar melodies paint a sonic collage saturated in delay and reverb. It’s a dynamic sound that battles against itself, ratcheting up tension before unleashing a well-timed primal roar. Although firmly in rabble-rousing territory, Deja Vega know how to ease off a touch, offering up space to breathe with a nod to the Madchester sound on debut album cut Chasing. A sharp-turn leads back to familiar madness as a barrage of ferocious chords veer into noise-rock territory on Spitting Gas, while the electro flourishes of Catharis and Banshee provide an opportunity for crowd-singalongs and a bouncing dance floor. It’s gloriously communal when Deja Vega slam into the sophomore album opening pair of All Gone Wrong and Who We Are, all barked vocals and driving, minimalist bass. The band really let loose during Telephone Voice, the opening atmospherics eventually punctured by stabbing guitars, a racing tempo, and a crowd who are getting messy and absorbed in the moment. It’s brilliant and energising, equal parts cathartic and cerebral. Oh, and it wouldn’t be Deja Vega without the familiar ring of cowbell which is welcomed like a long lost friend by those at the front. Heady and engaging, it is a fantastic performance and one to live in the birthday memories vault alongside the best of them.


Check out the socials for the bands and venue - let’s keep independent music live, loud, authentic, and original! 



THE FERRET:  https://theferret.live

DEJA VEGA:  https://linktr.ee/dejavegaband

IDLE HOURS:  https://linktr.ee/IdleHours


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