**

US six-piece and members of the so-called “new American heavy underground” Destruction Unit didn’t exactly interact with one another at this gig. In fact, the lack of any kind of clear bond between the six disparate-looking members meant support act, Brighton’s usually chaotic The Glugg, stole the show.

With four guitars and one bass (and vocals understandably buried beneath), the noise they made was admittedly heavy, but its psychedelic side veered way too close to indulgence, with the band members rarely acknowledging anything but their pedals. Most songs started excitedly, pumped and fresh, but after 30 seconds or so of each, the sludge returned.

Is life too short for psych? Well, possibly, especially when it becomes shorthand for noodling. The shred won out on the night. Any subtlety or nuance present in the band’s usually excellent recorded output – or in those of contemporaries such as Acid Mother’s Temple, Moon Duo or any one of the bands playing alongside Destruction Unit at the Liverpool Psych Festival later this year – was sadly absent.

This was like being hit by a truck when you were expecting to step on a bus to the airport.