Black Sabbath meets Lynard Skynard during a Red Octopus show.

When they first got on stage, the bass, lead, and drummer began revving up their machine by producing mass amounts of distortion that captivated the wandering, unfocused crowd. At first, it looked as though the Casbah crowd was going to completely ignore the first act, with the majority of patrons outside smoking, and the minority still unable to capture a buzz. But as Red Octopus began to transition into a rhythmic melody, we began get quiet, zeroing in on these unassuming guys, allowing ourselves to be led into the great unknown by the sounds of their instruments.

Five minutes into the show, their playing still remained our shepherds as no vocals has been produced, but only hard percussion and psychedelic strumming to lure us into a trance. Between the lead and the drummer, I felt as though I was listening to the electric harmonies of classic rock, lined with a light layer of soft metal. The lead freestyled, plucking and strumming a melody that constantly changed shape and direction, speeding up, slowing down, and stopping randomly, creating a gloriously entertaining effect. There were hanging moments of pure sound – much like the trance moment in a Doors song, where one just closes their eyes and moves to the music.

It seemed we the crowd were allowed to watch a Red Octopus studio session since the band pretty much ignored us the whole time and played only to each other. The entire show appeared to be a garage jam session, with the lead facing the bass, the bass facing the drums, and all members constantly speaking to each other through unexplainable eye contact and half smiles. By third song, they had warmed up, gotten a little bit looser and began to move around the stage a little bit more, but I got the sense that these dudes loved to play – not perform, which, telling by the quality of their sound, makes a huge difference. I didn’t need them to dance around stage or try to mimic other rock stars – I just wanted to hear them play.

Red Octopus is a talented, great sounding band. I liked them from the moment they started till the end, and apparently everyone else did to. The Casbah had filled up by the time of their exit, and the patrons had been successfully transitioned into Musicland – a happening the following bands have much to thank Red Octopus for.