Describing Ty Segall’s musical output as prodigious is putting it mildly considering his 15-year career to date. Bear witness to: 19 singles, 15 studio albums, collaborations with White Fence, and cover versions including Ty Rex – his fuzzed-up take on T Rex classics – and a fantastically dirty sounding rendition on Hot Chocolate’s disco classic ‘Every 1’s a Winner’.
New LP Three Bells rings out
Guessing what tonight, the Californian’s first-ever show in England’s second city, showcasing new album Three Bells, holds in store seems pointless. Particularly if seeing Segall for the first time.
What we get is a distillation of Segall’s sonic output. It’s delivered by him and his long-time collaborators Emmett Kelly (guitar), Charles Moothart (bass), and Ben Boye (keys). It includes the stoner-sludge rock of ‘Emotional Mugger/Leopard Priestess’ and ‘The Crawler’, the classic Laurel Canyon vibes of ‘I’m Looking At You’, and frazzled psych rock of show-closing ‘Melted’.
Three Bells wraps up Segall’s influences from folk, funk, jazz, and all manner of rock from garage to prog, from classic to punk into a 65-minute opus. Played tonight, ‘Void,’ from that album, seems to freewheel through all those influences. The three-part harmonies and playful riffing through ‘My Best Friend’ wouldn’t sound out of place on The White Album. ‘Denee’ firmly focuses on the funk.
The three-part harmonies and playful riffing through ‘My Best Friend’ wouldn’t sound out of place on The White Album.
A heckler’s wish for Segall to ‘play the hits man!’ would, in an alternate reality, be apt. From tonight’s set, ‘Wait’ (from Three Bells), and ‘Looking at You’ (from 2022’s Hello, Hi) would be instant rock classics. The penultimate song in this show, the happily-sad ‘My Lady’s on Fire’ (from 2018’s Freedom’s Goblin), should soundtrack the emotional closing moments of a streaming service hit rendering that sweet song a viral sensation.
Final thoughts
Judging by tonight’s enthusiastically received set, including a somewhat shambolic but kinda fun-looking moshpit, this audience certainly think Segall is a hit. It’s clear from this show that Segall is a unique artist. He’s difficult to pigeonhole, and, yes, sometimes difficult to listen to, but he’s a brilliant musician. Forget delivering hits, Segall’s success is of his own making.
Setlist
The Bell
Void
I Hear
Hi Dee Dee
Emotional Mugger/Leopard Priestess
Breakfast Eggs
The Crawler
My Head Explodes
Imaginary Person
Girlfriend
My Best Friend
My Room
Wait
Looking at You
Denee
My Lady’s on Fire
Melted
Three Bells is out now on Drag City Records.
Ty Segall with band play various European festivals this summer. He then plays solo Europe-wide before appearances at End of The Road Festival and Brighton, UK. Full dates via ty-segall.com
Anthony Gibbons
Anthony is a music fan and former music industry insider. He contributed articles to many a now-defunct music magazine or website. He tried his hand at music PR but wasn’t particularly good at it (editor’s note: Mr Gibbons’s words not mine!) Away from music, Anthony is a freelance advertising and marketing executive. Outside of this, he can be found walking the dog, toiling on the allotment, or fending off old age with running and yoga.
