Naxatras Post Full Set Video From Ozora Festival 2024
I will tell you honestly this live video of Naxatras‘ full set from the Ozora Festival — also stylized O.Z.O.R.A. as an acronym for I don’t know what — this past summer in Dádpuszta, Hungary, isn’t what I was planning on writing about today. I was all set to review something else, an album that’s been hanging over my head for a bit and that I kind of feel obligated toward for various reasons, and along comes a Bandcamp update from the Greek jammers/progressive psychedelic rockers, a clip to check out, and there goes the next 75 minutes of my life. I ended up watching the thing on my laptop while I emptied the dishwasher and made breakfast. Things like that make me feel like I’m exist in an alt-definition of “lifer.”
And I might have gone back to that record — there’s a lot to like about it — but in the spirit of a band following where their creative will leads, here I am with this Naxatras video. It’s pro-shot and the lights are gorgeous, so even if you end up putting it on while you do chores or work or whatever you’re up to, it’ll be worth glancing over at, and the sound is correspondingly fantastic. A live recording that can harness any sense of breadth and be about more than just the spirit of here’s-album-tracks-performed is a thing to treasure, and if Naxatras were to release the audio from this set in some form, I’d be here telling you to listen to it anyway. As it is, the audio/visual impression here does a lot to convey how and why Naxatras have amassed such a reputation on the Euro circuit, rising to the fore of the admirably varied Greek heavy underground alongside current bands like 1000mods and Planet of Zeus.
Bassist and intermittent vocalist John Vagenas — most of the set and the band’s work more broadly is instrumental, but a couple songs have singing on them, including the multi-movement “Ent” from their 2015 self-titled debut (discussed here), which closes — posted the clip with the comment quoted below, and those who take particular note of the part where he says “…shortly before our new music comes out,” will definitely want to check out the video, which features two new songs in succession, with “Space Keeper” and “Utopian Structures” representing their latest batch of tunes, the actual release of which has yet to be announced. So a sneaky preview as a reward for those who’d take the plunge to find it. He says on stage they recorded “about two months ago,” which since Ozora is held at the end of July would’ve been sometime in Spring 2024. I know nothing about when it’ll be out, but if it’s done, that’s certainly an important step along the way.
The chilled-out-but-not-lazy jam is at the heart of what Naxatras — who performed at Ozora as a five-piece, including Vagenas, keyboardist Pantelis Kargas, guitarist John Delias, drummer Kostas Charizanis and percussionist Dimitris Kavoukidis — do as a band, but as demonstrated on 2022’s IV (review here), the totality of their scope is broader and reaches into different modes of songwriting. I don’t necessarily have an idea what to expect beyond broad strokes for their next album, but after IV, I have high hopes that they’ll continue to move forward as they’ve been doing for the last 10 years. Unless an announcement comes in the next week or so, or they decide to do a fancy, no-advance-promo surprise album drop in the next month (always possible), it’ll likely be 2025 before we find out. Fortunately, that’s still not too far off.
An unexpected pivot brought me here. The resonance of Naxatras turned out to be what I needed, and below, you’ll find the video in its entirety, shared with the hope that it might also connect with you one way or the other.
Please enjoy:
Naxatras, Live at Ozora Festival 2024
John Vagenas on Ozora Festival:
“It’s no secret that I have a weak spot for Ozora, it is after all a mothership of psychedelic culture as it exists right now in the world. So, I believe this show is really a milestone of our journey as a band until now, the evolution of our sound just shortly before our new music comes out! Stay tuned people, cool things are coming up really soon…”
We’re so happy to share with you our full show at the Dragon Nest stage of Ozora Festival 2024.
Directed and Colored by Ben Kirschenbaum
An Eyechant Production
Filmed by Daniel Vogman, Shira Houminer, Shaked Gorbatt, Ben Kirschenbaum
Edited by Daniel Vogman and Ben Kirschenbaum
Recorded by Konstantinos Ragiadakos
Mixed and Mastered by World Frequencies
Tracklisting (Courtesy of @PlaylistMaker434)
00:00 On The Silver Line
07:50 Omega Madness
15:05 Journey To Narahmond
21:55 Space Keeper
27:00 Utopian Structures
33:18 Waves
40:35 Garden Of The Senses
49:13 I Am The Beyonder
1:00:35 The Great Attractor
1:07:20 Ent
This video was created to celebrate the human experience, with the utmost respect for the people lensed, we hope this resounds and spreads joy.
Naxatras at Ozora Festival:
John Delias – Guitar
John Vagenas – Bass & Vocals
Kostas Charizanis – Drums
Pantelis Kargas – Keyboards
Dimitris Kavoukidis – Percussion
Band photo by Dimitris Kavoukidis.
