Bride of the Atom, T.V. Kicks, Liam Butler.

Esquires Bedford Lev 2 12th October 2006.

Today is the second John Peel Day and hundreds of music venues up and down the country are paying tribute to the much missed Radio DJ. Esquires certainly did their bit to mark the day - upstairs on level 2 NME teen darlings The View made a swift return in front of a rammed sold-out crowd whilst downstairs I caught up with the latest bands to honour the Thursday showcase.

Luton’s LIAM BUTLER performed a quite thought-provoking acoustic set that owed so much to his dour character. Opening song 'Glassjaw' opens with the drinker's bravado of “I want to drink you under the table”. In these days of binge drinking it’s a brave statement, but Liams not averse to taking a risk. 'Black and white' is basically an ode to a leprechaun(!) While the grim thought of spending a lifetime in Luton entails with 'Til the Bitter End'. From a personal point of view, Liam saves the best till last as he performs a rarity in Esquires, a Leonard Cohen cover. It's 'Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye', for me it is both tear-jerking and nostalgic and for that I’d like to say “Thanks Liam”.

From a slice of life in Luton to a bit of the same in dear old Lincoln, as their very own T.V. KICKS pay us a visit. What can I possibly say about this 2 piece - just guitar and drums and duel vocals? The music combines the gritty working class realism of Ray Davies and the look and sound of Winnebago Deal! To put it politely, these two certainly wouldn’t get a job working for the Lincoln tourist board. 'Candy cabs' tells us the life and times of the humble cabby. It's raw and dynamic, while the ironic 'One AM' is about being constantly stopped by the ‘boys in blue’ again (and again!). It is a truism that every town and city has at least one dilapidated run-down dive of a pub and Lincoln is no exception, so please Bedford folks, if you travel in that direction avoid 'Ritzy’s' which is castigated on 'Ritzy’s beasts”. The mundane monotonous work grindstone of 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, is the story behind 'Early bird' whilst “Cherish”, is a furious swipe at an ex-boyfriend of the guitarist's girlfriend. The T.V. Kicks end their set with “Kind”, apparently another undesirable pub in Lincoln!

Lutonians BRIDE OF THE ATOM are our next guests and make use of a film projector show in a similar manner to Iliketrains, which works in unison with a band heavily influenced by Vince Vincent and the Villains, plus a dab of The Cramps, whilst The brooding build up of the songs also recall Mark E Smith and The Fall. It's dark and disturbing and an old Bela Lugosi horror show is running on the projector. It fits perfectly to the hushed vocals and spine-tingling nature of the songs. “To Die At Sea” and “French Hanging Song” give an idea of the B.O.T.A. ethos. It's all presented in a professional way and overall it is a breath of fresh air to witness something a little bit different.