Black Angels

Circolo degli Artisti was packed to the rafters for the return to Rome of the Black Angels, the Austin band fronted by Alex Maas.

Alongside him is the usual lineup: Christian Bland on guitar, Nate Ryan on bass, Kyle Hunt on keyboards and the lovely Stephanie Bailey on drums.

But that's all quite relative, since the musicians (Stephanie excepted) constantly swap instruments among themselves, making the setup extremely flexible, moving fluidly from one to three guitars, from zero to two keyboards, with the bass often passing from hand to hand.

The Black Angels have three albums under their belt, each more brilliant than the last, which over time have won over both critics and audiences alike — a rare feat in recent years.

Particularly well received was their most recent effort, "Phosphene Dream", released about a year ago, which masterfully synthesizes the ideas already clearly laid out on the previous "Passover" (2006) and "Directions To See A Ghost" (2008).

Recently released was "Another Nice Pair", which collects the band's first two EPs.

The evening opened with a short but intense garage rock set from Night Beats, from Seattle, who are touring behind their self-titled debut album, which arrived after a string of EPs and live recordings.

They're also friends and collaborators of Christian Bland in his side project UFO Club.

A quick stage changeover, and then it's time for the Black Angels.

The set opens with an instant classic from the quintet, Bad Vibrations, after which the best tracks from Phosphene Dream (“Entrance Song”, “Yellow Elevator # 2”, the widely acclaimed “Haunting At 1300 McKinley”, “The Sniper” and the title track) are alternated with key rediscoveries from the recent past, in which the hallucinogenic charge is even more evident.

Psychedelia in its purest form, the top-shelf kind, the kind that makes you sway on your feet and sends you into ecstasy.

States of collective catharsis suddenly broken by electric gusts that have much in common with a certain strand of post-rock, but with a core that remains firmly straddling 13th Floor Elevators, Doors and early Pink Floyd.

Despite a brutal heat, bad enough to make you want to step outside for some air, quite a few people in attendance let loose with wild dancing and very sixties swaying, not just during the more driving numbers (“Telephone” above all), but also during the more atmospheric ones.

The setlist also makes room for a rendition of “Surf City Revisited”, from the EP “Black Angels Exit”, and “Melanie’s Melody”, included on the deluxe edition of Phosphene Dream.

It closes with “Young Men Dead”, the track that opened “Passover”, after which (despite the audience’s insistent requests) Black Angels don’t grant an encore, confirming the notoriously short length of their sets, which on this occasion stopped at an hour and ten minutes.

Fortunately guitarist Christian Bland picks up on the crowd’s warmth and decides to come back on stage accompanied by Night Beats, treating those present to a convincing three-cover set (holding his own throughout), including the Pink Floyd-esque Lucifer Sam.

On top of that, Bland will be the only member of the band who, once the show is over, mingles with the crowd scattered around the Circolo’s garden, amid beers, autographs and the occasional joke, in yet another psychedelic summer of his now drawing to a close.

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