The Mars Volta @ Academy

Ah wish they'd cut oot the foreplay! a frustrated pilgrim cries from the Academy's salivating throng. Rarely are the Mars Volta accused of blowing their load early, but when they kick this gig off with a 10 minute long rendition of Roulette Dares, it's a thing of rare immediacy in the context of the three hour prog-a-thon to follow. For every moment they ease up on the cosmic noodling and let the lightning out of the bottle, (see Goliath and Ouroborous), there are half a dozen too many samba freakouts to talk the crowd down from impending ecstasy. Cedric - tonight resembling a dishevelled Diana Ross - tirelessly shakes and shimmies while compatriot Omar wrings his axe free of demons, but they're hogging all the fun. A late appearance of Drunkship of Lanterns strikes a mean between the Volta's strengths and self-indulgences, but it's never enough to justify this endurance test. Epic? Too right. Virtuosos? In league with Hendrix, mate. So it's a major frustration that they also dabble in 'bloody tedious'. [Johnny Langlands]