Delphian Complex, Eyelash, Story One, The Tempest.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 10th June 2005.

A good sized crowd turned out on a balmy Friday night to support four bands all with fairly differing sounds.

THE TEMPEST are a quietly melodic indie-rock band new to Level 2 of Esquires but they gave a good account of themselves in front of a crowd who wouldn’t have been familiar with them. For me the standout song of their set was 'Losing It' and they exited the stage to a decent amount of applause.

Next on where STORY ONE, who had travelled down from Nottingham for the night. Their front-man certainly stood out, combining his vocals with spells of violin playing. Although their set was a bit hit and miss, their mix of Coldplay fused with The Sterophonics made for an interesting 30 minutes.

Preceding the headliners were EYELASH. Comprising of two female and two male members (including drummer 'Flo' of Funyamum fame), Eyelash were a potent blend of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Elastica and The Distillers. Their rapid fire nine-song set included the wonderfully titled 'I was born the year Punk died'.

Headlining the night were the brilliant DELPHIAN COMPLEX. For those of you who have not seen this band, they draw their influences from the early nineties 'Madchester' scene. However, in a similar vein to Kasabian and The Music, they are not just 'baggy' throwbacks. Tonight, from the first song to the last, they perform with a real prowess and although I confess I was already a fan, they certainly did not disappoint. Playing songs from their highly recommended 'Opus' e.p. such as 'Lay' and 'To Better Days' (which sounds like the Killers relocated to North London), The Delphian Complex lift me to paradise and back for forty minutes.