Back in the early 70s, one band with a defining sound and a lot of patience, buried an album with explicit instructions that the sealed package was not to be opened before the later half of 2013.
This is not the official story. But if there was no record of recent gigs, or a discography restrained to this decade, I could almost believe Royal Falcon’s Heavy Night was one of the best kept secrets of the 70s. Even their album art, depicting a falcon looking as fracked as I feel after a heavy night, is an artefact of the days of vinyl.
Their first album since the tragic passing of founding member Dan Pilkington, Royal Falcon have found their sound and their soul and delivered the perfect psychedelic country rock soundtrack to a night out getting munted.
A classic rock album 40 years too late, but on the same token just what we need in this pop saturated world. I recommend it for fans of Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Bourbon and Marlboro Reds, as the music sounds like a tribute to all of the above.
To experience Royal Falcon for yourself you could buy the Go Girls DVD, or you could shout the band a beer by buying Heavy Night from any good music stockist. Alternatively, for you neophytes that claim MP3 is superior to Vinyl, you can get the tracks through Amplifier (http://www.amplifier.co.nz/release/102547/heavy-night.html).
Royal Falcon are an Auckland-based five piece band, making music akin to a murderous spree. Their raucous psychedelic country songwriting merges dark narrative and creeping dynamics with an explosive guitar assault to create something quite intense.
Founding members Dan Pilkington and Gareth Hays have long-standing connections to Maternal Records and are heavily schooled in the primal rock outpourings of that label. The earliest Royal Falcon songs were formulated during destructive alcohol binges by these two, which perversely proved fruitful to their songwriting process. Armed by late 2007 with a solid catalogue of songs, Pilkington and Hays decided to expand operations and Royal Falcon was born:
Perry Hooper is renowned for his musical virtue, equally at ease playing dub, funk or blues guitar. Hooper has a transcendent affinity for the Royal Falcon, and his searing leads breathe extra life into the songs.