Bad Brains, mad monks, maximalism, political radicals, yoruban drumming, Gaza handclaps and David Koresh – just a few of this Texan outfit claim to hopld an influence on their music. So far so bizarre then, and we haven’t even started blabbing about their rather esoteric offerings yet. They do in fact boast a swampy psych-rock drone driven by haunting vocals and scuzzy guitars or as they so eloquently put it once, ‘sounds like stuff what is broke’. Welcome to the incredibly weird world of Indian Jewelry.

So, where exactly do this lot hail from?
They formed in 2002 in Houston, Texas, but since then the band has gone through a whole range of line-ups, monikers and touring incarnations including Swarm of Angels, Hong Kong, the Turquoise Diamonds, BENZENE LOTION RASH, the Corpses of Waco, Electric Fuck All, NTX+ELECTRIC, and the Perpetual War Party Band among others.

I’m confused.
Well, yes. Indian Jewelry clearly live to confound, and also to melt minds on the gig scene with their famously seizure-inducing stage shows. Anyone who has been to see the act live will testify that it’s an incredibly intense and eardrum-shredding experience.
Basically a right old racket then…

And an unmissable one at that - they’re not called one of Houston’s premier noise rock bands for nothing you know. And for more on their ‘sonic and comic musical experiments’ and musings look no further than recently released third offering Free Gold which is said to have been created with such instruments as shredder guitar, pandemonium, ghostworm, pizaz and sequential circuits. Right then…

www.swarmofangles.com
http://www.myspace.com/indianjewelry

Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, Tue 21 October 2008