Gong

Gong was founded by Daevid Allen in 1969, inspired by a strong psychedelic vision. Allen, a founding member of Soft Machine, incorporated his spiritual and metaphysical leanings into the evolving project. Gong established itself as one of the unique, innovative and experimental rock bands of the 1970s through its revelatory blend of rock, jazz and psychedelia with elements of mysticism and surrealism. It created a kaleidoscopic sonic palette capable of expressing the most imaginative ideas that influenced later generations of rave and electronic musicians. Before his death in 2015, Allen put together the current incarnation of Gong, with whom he recorded his swan album I See You, with the intention that Gong would not die with him, and that the band would "continue on to new unknown heights and depths." The band, consisting of Kavus Torabi, Dave Sturt, Fabio Golfetti, Ian East and Cheb Nettles, is the most stable formation in Gong's illustrious history and has continued to write, record and perform together since Allen's departure. Gong concerts are a multimedia psychedelic ritual that takes the listener back to the 1960s.