Gig review: Osees at Leeds Irish Centre

If there was ever a pressing need for a conclusive answer to the question ‘what constitutes a cult band?’, Osees should be able to assist.

Formed in San Francisco in 1997, the band (now based in Los Angeles, and centred around singer, guitarist, main songwriter and sole original member John Dwyer) operate firmly outside the accepted norms of the music business.

There have been multiple readjustments to the band’s name (OCS, Thee Oh Sees, Oh Sees, etc.), seemingly designed to put curious seekers of the latest cool thing off their scent. With a back catalogue comprising 30-odd releases (released on Dwyer’s Castle Face imprint), the band’s ceaseless productivity would no doubt freak out brand-building major labels, even if the albums didn’t deviate unpredictably between quickfire foam-mouthed punky rage, folk-hued weirdness, skewed garage rock fuzziness and sprawling psych-rock hypnosis.

With the band’s six current members (including UK-born but LA-based psych-rock lifer Brigid Dawson on harmony vocals and percussion) venturing on stage of the sold-out Irish Centre to set up their own gear, the start to tonight’s explosive performance is very much in line with the band’s DIY ethos. These aren’t rock stars with roadies to do their dirty work, but rather tradesmen and women here to deliver their trademark service: a high octane, teeth-grindingly intense serving of pure rock action.

The fearsome reputation that Osees have built as a powerful live act is soon proven correct. A mosh pit forms within a few minutes of the band’s double-drummer, decibel-binging gallop kicking off. Soon after that, the first in an extensive wave of crowd-surfers starts their perilous journey from the edge of the stage to the middle of the sold-out crowd.

This kind of viscerally physical reaction from the audience often signals a one-dimensionally aggressive barrage from the stage. Whilst the Osees certainly saw off some of their eccentric subtleties tonight to boost unstoppable forward-momentum, there are alluring nuances hidden amidst the band’s relentless attack to help keep monotony at bay.

Many of tonight’s highlights emerge as notionally simple blasts of scruffily gonzo-id garage rock built around refrains full of ooh oohs and oh yeahs before expanding into uncategorisable forms via extensive off-script extemporisations and hypnotic repetition that somehow effortlessly bridge the gap between the white-knuckled fury of punk and the unhurried noodling of jam bands.

With the two drum kits parked on the lip of the stage, Osees also appreciate the irreplaceable value of a groove, and there are moments during tonight’s show where you worry for the wellbeing of the sweat-soaked drummers Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone whose adrenalised schedule doesn’t allow for laidback coasting.

The fiercely intense show grinds to a halt after 90 minutes. As the mosh pit enthusiasts limp towards the exit, it’s impossible not to be in awe of a band who must have just squeezed out every conceivable drop of collective energy, and are set to do the exact same thing again the next night for another sold-out show at the Irish Centre.