As I stand amidst the crowd tonight, waiting for legendary acid-country supergroup Alabama 3 to take the stage, I can’t help but feel a little out of place. Borne out of the mid-90s Brixton acid scene, the A3 have been rocking venues with “sweet country acid house music all night long” for 30 years. After all that time, they have done nothing but stick to their roots, bringing their rave sensibilities to country and blues music through 12 studio albums, and many-a-riotous live show. Indeed, even before the denim-wearing, cowboy-hat renegades take the stage, the venue itself turns into a rave. Pumping and gritty acid house fills the room, allowing the crowd to loosen up before the main event. The man behind me taps me on the shoulder and says, “aren’t you a bit young for this?”. I look around the room and reply: “It seems like it”.
As opening track and new single ‘Sex Machine Learning’ kicks in, Larry Love and co. walk on stage-kitted in double denim, cowboy hats, and sparkly suit jackets. It sets the tone perfectly, as blues riffs are accompanied by techno beats and spoken-word gospel with such gems like: “They wheeled me down to a secret lab, Filled me with whisky and Soylent Green, Plugged my ass into the machine”. Love is adorned with sunglasses, looking like Richard Ashcroft if he took a turn to the rave-country scene instead of rock’n’rolling. Rather bizarrely, late bandleader Jake Black (AKA The Very Reverend D. Wayne Love) is ‘resurrected’ on the venue’s screens. At first I presume its old footage but, at the very moment he starts doing kickups with his head spinning, realise he has been AI generated. As Love says later in the show, its “disturbing but beautiful”. I agree with one of those.
Just a few songs later, the A3 play their biggest hit ‘Woke Up This Morning’ (from 1997’s Exile on Coldharbour Lane) to a lively reception. For those who are unawares, this song soundtracks every episode of The Sopranos, and is a significant reason for Alabama 3’s cult status (currently sitting at nearly 48 million listens on Spotify). It is a cathartic moment, as Love’s deep and gravelly voice meets a rumbling bassline, droning organ, and synthy bleeps and bloops. It is intensely groovy and infectious, a great song even outside of its TV notoriety.
But there is more to the A3 than this track. As Love says as the organ fades away, they play song early so all The Sopranos fans can leave, and things can “get weird”. And weird it certainly gets. Next up is a song about margaritas, a swooning ‘narcocorridos’ of Columbian origin. The chorus is a singalong, though few people in the crowd know the lyrics. AI Reverend D. Wayne Love is again shown on the screens, this time seamlessly transitioning between being in jail, petting a donkey, re-enacting the crucifiction of Jesus (but slightly off-centre), and spinning in the air with two margaritas in hand. The whole thing is, clearly, very strange. It is equally joyous and disturbing, effortlessly cool and incredibly naff. I am left slightly disquieted by the whole affair, yet still can’t help but dance along.
After a slight lull in the midsection of the set, things pick up again with ‘Ain’t Goin’ to Goa’. Here, gospel singing and hand claps are accompanied by screaming harmonica (played by the fantastically talented Nick Reynolds, AKA Harpo Strangelove), four-on-the-floor beats, and spoken word rap. It is one of the A3’s best songs, and receives a rapturous response from the audience. Leaning into their rave roots, the band finish their main set with ‘Hypo Full of Love (The 12 Step Plan)’. It is trancey and lively, Larry Love and co-singer Sheena Ross (AKA Sister Sheena) encouraging the crowd to link arms and dance along.
Though the main show has its ups and downs, the performance’s highlight is clearly the encore. ‘U Don’t Danse to Tekno Anymore’ is both the most traditionally country tune of the night, as well as its liveliest. It is suitably wonky and woozy, slide guitar, organ, and banjo chasing an upbeat and simple country beat. To finish the set, the A3 replay opening track ‘Sex Machine Learning’, extending its instrumentals and featuring solos from almost every member of the band. It is a perfectly executed finale.
I leave the venue tonight, then, with mixed feelings. But even if tonight’s performance left some things to be desired, Alabama 3 remain a completely unique and entertaining act. Quite helpfully, they also have an extensive back catalogue of great songs.
Conor Lang
