For those not in the know, Brant Bjork is somewhat of a desert / stoner rock legend. He was a founding member of Kyuss, early member of Queens of The Stone Age, long time member of Fu Manchu, and has played on Josh Homme’s ongoing jam-stylee Desert Sessions compilations. Somehow, he has also found the time to start his own record label (Duna Records), and in the last six years has written and recorded several solo albums. This guy has a lot to answer for when looking at my music collection.

So it was with huge anticipation that I and fellow stoner aficionado Alex wandered into the Basement at Rock City on a balmy Bank Holiday Monday. We can tell from the beginning this is going to be something special – there are barely 50 people in the usually overcrowded room, and the band have set up as close to the front of the stage as possible. Intimacy and connection with the audience are top of the menu tonight.

The set opens with "Automatic Fantastic", a number from Brant’s first solo outing, the ultra-chilled funked up bluesy Jalamanta. The way the song comes in sets the tone for the rest of the set – Brant plays sparse, delicately strummed hanging guitar chords, while the rhythm section gradually builds and builds, until you can take it no longer. Finally, the whole band comes in with a trademark head-bobbing riff that is so simple, yet so divine you wonder why you haven’t written it yourself. This is, as Alex would say, cracking.

Brant’s vocals are unique, a laid back Californian dude treading the line between singing and talking as if he is telling a story. The Bros provide excellent backing that manages to capture the spirit of Brant’s style (he writes and records all the parts on his solo records). This is especially true of the drummer, who has a lot to live up to given...

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