One of Tel Aviv’s finest bands, The Takeoff, rocked Kuli Alma in south Tel Aviv with a 90-minute show as a reminder of the small venues are sometimes the best ones. It felt as if these four guys invented a time machine, went back to the early 1970s and imbibed the best of British heavy rock, and the swagger of the American guitar scene, then came back to the present to share that sound and that vibe with the world.
If you don’t know them yet, The Takeoff are a Tel Aviv quartet built around three of the busiest musicians on the local scene: Guy Strier on guitar, Ron Ephrati on bass, and Lior Izhaki on drums, with Dor Nagar, described by the band as “so good he was exiled to Prague,” on vocals, guitar and harmonica. The band plays tight, riff-driven rock, hewn from the motherlods of the best the 70s had to offer.
Hit n’ Fly
The band played almost the entirety of their debut album, Hit n’ Fly, including “Highest Bidder,” “Timber,” “Life Is a Rumor,” “Peg Leg Fandango,” and my absolute favorite, “Killswitch Blues.” While the album versions are clean and honest, using the best modern recording techniques, the live versions are raw and dirty, with just a smidgen of humor.
They also dipped into newer material that I expect will end up on the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, including “Enemy Lines,” which sounds almost Beatle-esque on the Spotify version, but more like Zeppelin in the live version. They also performed an as-yet untitled blues song co-written by Dor Nagar and Gwyn Ashton
The Venue
A word on Kuli Alma itself, because it deserves one. It’s tiny, one of the smallest venues I’ve been in. But don’t let the size fool you. The sound in there was excellent, clear and punchy without any of the muddiness you sometimes get in a room that small. Every bit of Strier’s guitar work, Ephrati’s bass and Izhaki’s drumming came through cleanly, and Dor Nagar’s vocals sat right on top of the mix. Add the arty, low-lit atmosphere Kuli Alma is known for on Mikve Israel Street in south Tel Aviv, and it made for a properly intimate rock and roll night.
Make sure to catch The Takeoff live at one of their shows over the next couple of weeks:
1.9 Ruti, Pardes Hanah (entrance free)
3.9 Bella Ciao, Rishon Lezion
18.9 Grateful Dead Festival
If you like great musicianship and 1970s rock, you won’t be disappointed.