Plantoid

The Central, Gateshead.

Plantoid

This event is for 18 and over - No refunds will be issued for under 18s.

Ticket type Cost (face value)? Quantity
GENERAL ADMISSION £13.75 (£12.50)
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“This Brighton-based prog-jazz-rock outfit sound alive to the sheer joy of music making, coming on like an unholy union between Khruangbin, Deerhoof and Tame Impala”

— Uncut

Musically, Plantoid’s cauldron harnesses multiple subgenres at once to concoct a sort of primordial soup, the molecules of which are built as much from progressive rock as they are jazz, fusion, folk, and even a bit of ‘70s hard rock for good measure. The band began as the brainchild of Chloe and Tom Coyne, who met while pursuing music courses at Lincoln College in their teens. Quickly united by a passion for eclectic psychedelic rock, and far-out, emotionally charged songwriting, they relocated to Brighton and were ready to dig even deeper into their shared influences, ranging from Miles Davis to Todd Rundgren, to Jeff Buckley, all the way around to the more acute experimental fare that gives Plantoid their razor-sharp edge.

After the runaway success of their debut album Terrapath, which cemented their status as stewards of the UK’s prog-rock scene, Plantoid return with their sophomore release: the enigmatic, arresting, and at times downright catchy Flare. Staying true to the band's math-rock roots, the album is awash in heavy, reverberated guitar licks, tempo changes, and mind-altering chord progressions—all while expanding Plantoid’s signature sound towards new horizons, like wall-of-sound shoegaze and vocal-forward rock-pop. It does what all second albums do best; retain the core DNA that set its predecessor apart from the fray, yet evolve enough to excite old fans and new listeners alike.

If you’re here for the time changes, long track durations, and jazzy mid-song freakouts, don’t you worry, you’ll still find plenty across the album’s nine sprawling tracks. It’s just that Plantoid have been able to tap into something deeper, more lived-in. With the help of producer/sometimes live member Nathan Ridley, who has helped the band craft their sonic identity since Terrapath, they’ve sought to indulge their groovier side, dissecting their songs further and letting their ingredients properly ferment into something new. “We wanted to sit in the music for a while, make a mood out of it rather than like changing it up so quickly,” says Chloe. “We wanted to see ideas to their fullest extent.”

Progress, clearly, is the name of Plantoid’s game. Not just in terms of progressive rock, but leaning into the urge of always pushing forward, always discovering something new, excavating the layers and layers of stratified sediment between them until only a gleaming, polished stone remains. It’s this dedication to the expansion of their craft that makes them both endlessly fascinating, and one of those most intensely imaginative rock bands in the UK today.