Sundial – Libertine: A Lost Gem of Psychedelic Groove and Guitar Firepower
- bjtaylor1975
- Oct 8
- 3 min read
I first discovered Sundial when their debut single “Exploding in Your Mind” blazed across Radio 1’s Evening Session. That opening wah-wah drenched riff hit like a forgotten Hendrix jam — raw, electrifying, and utterly mind-bending. I hunted down the 12-inch single the next day and wore it out. The B-sides leaned into Beatles-esque psychedelia and Doors-style organ-driven rock, but it was the A-side’s guitar fireworks that truly sealed the deal.
Their next move was the Reflecter album, a more shoegaze-tinged record that closed with the colossal “Sunstroke/Mind Train,” a 13-minute guitar freak-out that I played endlessly. But it’s their third album, Libertine, that stands as Sundial’s most complete statement — their masterpiece, in my opinion. Every track hits hard, and the fusion of psychedelic rock, groove, and electronic textures makes it a thrilling listen from start to finish.
When Libertine first landed, it was laced with loops, samples, and drum machines — a heady mix of the Madchester spirit filtered through a Hendrixian lens. It felt like the perfect bridge between late-‘80s dance-rock experimentation and vintage psych guitar heroics. The band later reissued the album in 2006, stripping away the samples and loops to reveal its raw core. Surprisingly, it lost none of its momentum. Frontman Gary Ramon reportedly prefers this stripped-back version, and it’s easy to see why: it’s leaner, heavier, and showcases the sheer power of the guitars.
The album opens with “Dual,” an instrumental jam built around a pulsing bass riff and flashes of guitar that set the mood before melting into the first proper track, “Going Down.” This one kicks the door down — a pounding, riff-driven beast that feels tailor-made to open live shows. It’s all swagger and stomp, a statement of intent.
My personal highlight, though, is “Watch You Smile,” a pure adrenaline rush of a track. Riding another storming riff and a tight, funky rhythm section, it’s the perfect collision of rock and groove. I still remember catching the band perform it live on Gary Crowley’s The Beat — the psychedelic chorus, the searing solo, the sheer energy. If you crave great guitar freak-outs, this is essential listening.
“Deep Inside” brings back the heads-down rock of “Going Down,” with laid-back, cool vocals and slabs of wah-wah-soaked guitar. The rhythm section is thunderous here, proving how much heavier and groove-centric the band had become since their early releases.
Then comes “Hold On,” perhaps the clearest evidence of their dance-rock ambitions. Driven by a deep, funky bassline and crisp, almost mechanical drums, it fuses rock power with club-floor energy. Somehow, it manages to be both danceable and absolutely ferocious — a real standout.
Without missing a beat, “Around and Around” slides in next. The bass once again leads the charge, the drums snapping tightly in lockstep. It’s got an infectious chorus, a mid-song breakdown that lets the rhythm section shine, and some glorious backward guitar before the wah-wah returns to close it out — a nod to Stone Roses-style psychedelia, but heavier.
The penultimate track, “Star Baby,” is the band’s defining statement — all heavy, Stooges-esque riffage and groove-laden propulsion. It builds to a false ending before exploding into a massive guitar freak-out that lets Ramon channel his inner Hendrix one last time.
Finally, “Believer” closes the album on a completely different note — a blissed-out, Floydian comedown after all the chaos. On the original mix it leaned more toward ambient dance territory, clearly influenced by Screamadelica, but in its reissued form the guitars breathe and shimmer, giving it a dreamlike organic texture.
Libertine is a criminally overlooked record — a bold fusion of psychedelic rock and groove that feels as fresh today as it did in the early ‘90s. If you’re a fan of swirling wah-wah guitars, heavy riffs, and hypnotic grooves, this album deserves a place in your collection. And don’t skip the follow-up, Acid Yantra — another unsung gem from one of Britain’s great lost psych-rock acts .
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