Afghan Sand Gang @ The Rose and Monkey Hotel 17/12/2019

Afghan sand gang, the Krautrock group from Mossley that produce hypnotic, niche crafted beats, that you will inevitably get sucked into after only a minute of listening.

The Rose and Monkey Hotel is not the place you likely expect to find a band such as Afghan Sand Sang due to its quaint cosy nature. It was comfortably filled with people of all styles, from the lady in the Hawaiian dress and bobble hat to the lads in full suit attire. Although a niche band, they do not attract a similar audience type. The crowd was already pumped for the lad’s performance as the tiny venue was packed after watching the likes of Leon the Pig Farmer, Patrick T Davies and Chloe Monaco; a variety of acts all of whom supported the band. 

Afghan themselves, comprised of Matt Burgess, Patrick Neville, Will Owen and Johnny James, graced the tiny 2 man size stage of the Rose and Monkey, yet somehow made it work and absolutely owned it (even if this meant Will was unfortunately hidden at the back of stage).

Playing a number of their tracks from the solid first songs such as ‘Decension’ to their new material ‘Glistener’ the lads had the crowed awestruck with their music no matter if they were a loyal fan or listening to them do their thing for the first time. Even with a few technical hitches throughout the night and their own set, the lads kept poised and pulled off a belting show, every song as infectious as the last. The set didn’t quite last long enough in my opinion (maybe that’s my bias of wanting to listen to the band for longer) but in doing so they left everyone infected by their psychedelic beats craving more.

Overall the whole evening was a success leaving everyone in a great mood, something they always manage to-do. Maybe next time they hopefully play a venue that lets their music reach full potential and big enough for the crowd to dance. 

You can find Afghan Sand Gang’s Music on Spotify and Youtube.