Psychedelia, Some Crunch From Seahorses

Once or twice during the Seahorses’ concert at the Palace on Wednesday, a song would seem reminiscent of Oasis’ melodic, acoustic-electric mix. More accurately, though, a tune such as “Blinded by the Sun” faintly echoed Seahorses guitarist John Squire’s former band the Stone Roses, the erstwhile kings of Brit-pop who never quite managed to set the world on fire.

Squire has kept his love of psychedelia, but the Seahorses traversed crunchier terrain during the hourlong set, brewing an intoxicating concoction of Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and glam-era Bowie. The anthemic rockers from the quartet’s debut album, “Do It Yourself,” showcased Squire’s serious Jimmy Page infatuation, but while he peeled off an array of mighty riffs, his playing was never gratuitously flashy. Rather, his prowess informed and buoyed his bandmates’ equally stellar work, and together they created moods ranging from vaguely menacing to delightfully whimsical.

In contrast to the scruffily appealing personality of extroverted singer Chris Helme, Squire seemed almost shy onstage, concentrating mostly on producing Zep-like power and sprawl with his instrument, while never abandoning melody.

Opening act Mansun’s 45-minute set of spacey, driving rock, drawn from its trippy debut album, “Attack of the Grey Lantern,” proved a tasty hors d’oeuvre. Perhaps even more psychedelic than the headliner, the British quartet’s awesome, crunchy guitar melodies and frontman Paul Draper’s insistent vocals were intense enough to induce flashbacks, man.