Days Ruin, Faster Destroy, Two-Shot Blast.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. Thursday 8th September 2005.

What do Thursday nights conjure up for you? Quiet nights in front of the T.V. watching The Bill? A visit to the Cinema? A few drinks with your mates with the weekend so close you can almost smell it? Well, hopefully all this is going to change as Esquires promoter Paul Craven has decided that Thursday nights in Bedford need shaking up. With plans to showcase young new bands as well as some top touring acts (Howards Alias and No Comply are already pencilled in), dull and boring Thursday could be a thing of the past. The sizeable audience at Esquires tonight suggests Paul could be on to something...

Opening up are TWO-SHOT BLAST. Travelling down from Leicester, band members Dan, Ant, Tom, Leon and Joe combine to play a fine debut set of punk/metal ska which got a good reception from the sometime apathetic audience. Having gigged with Anti-Flag and and Freaks Union, they are about to embark on a tour with American outfit Break the Silence.

FASTER DESTROY were up next, although I felt this young band from Hertfordshire had too many delays and silences during their set for it to really flow. Their guitar and drum solos were good but the band were let down by weak vocals which failed to sustain their performance.

Things picked up big time with third band DAYS RUIN. Playing their first gig this was as good a debut as you could ever wish to see. Influenced by Mudvayne, Slipnot and Pantera, Dan (vocals), Adam (guitar), Faz (Bass), and Fred (drums) hammered through a class set.

A footnote to their performance was the fact the Adam and Faz's musical guru Junior (of Moolie fame) was in the crowd to witness their performance and in his deep Jamican drawl he expressed his pleasure with their efforts - Nuff said!