Yamma @ The King Arthur, Glastonbury 10.11.2018

We were again off to Glastonbury's hostelry/venue of high repute, The King Arthur, and this evenings aural delights...Yamma, and The Cary Grace Band. First up was Yamma, a new project between psychedelic songstress and analogue synth supremo Cary Grace and original Zorch member and pioneering synth wizard Basil Brooks. We've been looking forward to this since first hearing a Yamma set on Mixcloud, tonight as a bonus, they were to be joined by special guests legendary bass player Mike Howlett and equally legendary violinist and guitarist Graham Clark. Man, what's not to love about that? Sadly though, Basil was unable to participate in the evening, though his station was more than capably manned by another musical big hitter Steve Everitt (of Ozric/Eat Static, among other things). The band took to the stage with Cary attired in a 60's/70's sci-fi style outfit, think something along the line of classic pulp science fiction or Anderson's 'UFO' imagined in an anime stylee, an indication of this evenings musical direction, maybe? Indeed it was, as tonight’s performance was going to be out of this world. Yamma really showcases Cary's electronic skills, creating her beautifully deep and richly textured electronic sound-scapes, woven through with wonderful psychedelic threads. It's mesmerizing to watch Cary crafting those wonderfully spacey sounds, all those knobs, keys and twiddly things, no wonder she's so focused as she carefully tunes us into the frequencies of her world. This was a different Yamma to that which we'd heard, this was less ambient. The addition of Steve Everitt on synth had definitely added something, as had Howlett's bass, and Clark's guitar, they all contributed new elements to the mix. Each musician brought their distinctive musical DNA as they supplied interesting treads to the evolving musical tapestry, transformative layers, it was sonic alchemy in action. The ensemble crafted some very tasty ambient psychedelic space flavours, and our minds happily absorbed. That's the beautiful alchemy of accomplished musicians. Sadly, the set wasn't long enough, though it was long enough to give you a good indication of Yamma's potential. I know I wasn't alone in being blown away by the set, the entire audience loved it. I look forward to the next opportunity to be blown away. An aspect that I particularly love to some of these bands, is the fluidity of line up, the guest artists and the unique experiences that creates. I know next time we see Yamma it'll be different again, and that's Cary's genius (beyond the fact of her immense talent as an artist), she knows how to craft a unique musical evening and does so, so sublimely. Tonight really worked, man, the line up, the music, the colourful projections and Cary's sci-fi image, all gelled nicely in an ambient psychedelic space bonanza. What a fantastic performance. I couldn't tell you the name of any of the tracks, I don't know if we were told, and anyway, I was lost in my exquisite aural journey, transfixed as four premier artists plied their magic. A massive thanks to Cary, Mike, Graham and Steve, to Lux Looper for the lovely visuals and of course to the Arthur, for another stunning evening.Now for the Cary Grace Band.