Eleusia - Eleusia Live

There is one thing about the new live album, Eleusia Live, recorded in Tottenham by the Medway four-piece Eleusia, which is not greatly similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ style: the lyrics. Those of opening track ‘Romance’ stand out and arguably top Anthony Kiedis’ free-flowing, often nonsensical poetry of recent times, if not his better songs of yesteryear. That said, fans of Red Hot Chili Peppers - particularly those who know of the band’s early and mid-nineties output - will love Eleusia’s new release. Almost all of this album sounds infected by Flea and company’s funky workouts and chilled jams, including a cover of ‘Breathe’ by Pink Floyd. That last song is an indication of the only other clear influence on the band: psychedelia, possibly including Jimi Hendrix and/or the weirder moments of Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam, as well as David Gilmour‘s spaced out guitar. There are plenty of sharp, hard riffs and frantic solos to go along with the elongated trippy material, meaning the music bears as much similarity to their main influence’s hit ‘Can’t Stop’ as it does to their 1991 title song ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’.

Just because a band’s style is derivative and thus arguably lacking in creativity - indeed, it would be good to see a more ambitious and eclectic melting pot of music - that does not necessarily mean that the musicianship on display is not as good as that of a more “original” band (if such a thing as true originality in music exists). While it would be harsh to dismiss Eleusia as a group that are “ripping off” the Chili Peppers, this band’s ability is so great that one could say they have, on this live album, created a fitting tribute to the funk-rock giant’s legacy. More importantly, they have made a collection of engaging, skillful, and at times, all-engulfing songs in an age of musical monotony.