Saturday 20th June 2009 @ The Louisiana, Bristol

With face-meltingly heavy riffs laced with intricate, transcendental melodies, moments of pure reverential drone and songs about the great Omani – the oldest ever escape artist – and even Charlie Chaplin… what’s not to love?

When Ktunk took to the stage in the Louisiana’s cosy upstairs venue, the room was already feeling pretty snug. Drenched in red light, the band launched into the first 30 minutes with the epic trilogy that is By Day, By Night and Little Wooden Boy, before the crowd even knew what hit them. With intense guitar solos, rich bass and precise drumming, Ktunk chugged confidently through their set like a solid, adventure-seeking sea vessel into unknown waters.

The sheer energy of Ktunk – operating as a complete and expertly synchronised whole – was both endearing and genuinely impressive. This was particularly apparent during their killer song Silents, Please, which relies on musical precision (and a cow bell) – and worked perfectly. With a mix of gut-wrenching hollers and soothingly sultry chants, each song was an ambitious and emotional journey. Their lyrics are genuine, intelligent and touching. Their technique is tight, diverse and crushing.

Reminiscent of epic bands such as Tool and even Kyuss, these guys certainly seem to have a broad range of musical influences. And what’s even more apparent is they’re not interested in churning out the same old vacuous tripe that so many bands do in an attempt to reference their musical idols. They have all the experimental energy of a relatively new, up-and-coming heavy band with the potential to produce a sound that’s genuinely unique – not to mention the technical prowess to back it up.

Here is a band that pay tribute to a range of influences, yet are well on the road to developing their own utterly distinct, hugely compelling style.

www.myspace.com/ktunktunk

Katharine Orton