RockFour are one of Israel’s senior rock bands, being active since the early 1990’s, yet still they are considered a bit underground. In 2000 they released their first album in English, titled Supermarket, which was followed by One Fantastic Day, and a record deal with the US-based Rainbow Quartz label, which released their new album, Nationwide.

About 100 people came to Tel-Aviv’s Barby club, one of the most happening places in Israel’s music scene, to witness RockFour live, the evening before they headed for some gigs in the US.

Opening for RockFour was Flying Baby, a local band that performed rocking originals in English for about half an hour – a raw yet unpolished set.

And then came RockFour, loaded with energy and thick, warm sound (probably the best sound that the Barby club has ever witnessed!). Those who know RockFour know that the way they sound plays a significant role, both on their albums and during their live shows.

Those unfamiliar with the band should most definitely get a copy of Supermarket, but I should stress that their live sound is a bit different, as they avoid any use of keyboards live. Instead, they rely more on their power (two guitars, bass, and drums) in order to create an intense and liberating psychedelic environment, and often supplying interesting and heavier variations on their recorded work.

In a way, the live version of RockFour can be regarded as a mix between its English "studio-self," which owes much to 60’s and 70’s psychedelic rock acts (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Byrds) but still sounds original and offers brilliant melodies, and between a stoner rock attitude a la Monster Magnet, which draws additional influences from the early instrumental Pink Floyd material and the spacey/ hallucinatory Hawkwind (influences that are also to be found on one of their earlier albums in Hebrew); but no fear – RockFour is more to the point and easier to digest than the latter.

This was my fourth visit to the live land of RockFour, a band that earned itself a reputation of being a bit unstable on stage – I certainly felt this way on my previous visits (but that’s not to say they were unsuccessful). However, this time was different: It seems that RockFour got wiser with experience and time (it has been over a year since I last saw them live), but not a bit older; in fact, they seem younger as they managed to get rid of the wrinkles they used to have – everything was in place, the music was passionate, flooding with and inspiring performance.

For about two hours the band offered songs from their three albums in English (focusing on Supermarket and Nationwide), as well as off the aforementioned album in Hebrew (Foreigners do not fear – they have versions of these pieces in English as well just for you!); with a healthy dose of interaction with the crowd – which was invited to sing on stage on one occasion, and on another the audience’s coffee-tables turned into a stage for the band.

It was a thrilling night, and I can honestly recommend on the entire experience for any person who can appreciate fine rock music, which is inspired by the good old past but doesn’t imitate it. Make sure you check their website (www.rockfour.com) for future gigs worldwide.