Marah and Westerley

Marah: the very definition of which means ‘bitter’. Looking at the black-clad, greasy- haired angry rockers taking to the stage with a variety of instruments too numerous to count, you could perhaps see why the name had been chosen. The band appeared every bit as sullen as their namesake. However, the reality couldn’t have been any further from this. Formed in 1993, the band have been rocking the music circuit for over two decades now. Their music is a combination of country, garage and alternative rock. A bizarre combination and not one that I was expecting from these seemingly angry rockers. It seems that stereotypes must indeed be washed away if you are to fully appreciate this band and enjoy them for just how unusual and refreshingly original their music truly is. The careful blend of country and rock works surprisingly well, particularly with songs such as ‘The Dishwasher’s dream’, and ‘Round blue eyes’ which in particular possesses distinctly country vocals. Despite their rather intense performance style, there was nothing angry about Marah. Rather, they seemed to be immensely enjoying their time on stage and you could feel their passion for their music emanate off them and on to the audience. This was particularly the case during the instrumental solos when each band member really went for it. They were, overall, an extremely welcome surprise.