Eliza Doolittle, Amy Leeder, Danni Nicholls, Daniela Bove, Samantha Hughes.

Lev 1 Esquires Bedford. 30th October 2009.

I often bemoan the fact that we don't get enough female musicians appearing on level 2. That gripe was certainly rectified tonight, fivefold to be precise. Although she has appeared on a Mat Roberts show in Danny's Bar, this was SAMANTHA HUGHES' first visit on the big stage. Naturally she appeared nervous. Her style is late fifties, early sixties 'kitsch pop' with a slightly country feel. In fact, her cover of "Born too Late" could, on tonight's performance, be an accurate statement. A self penned song called "Swinging Star" was delightfully played. As she worked her way through the set, young Samantha did indeed concentrate at "Bringing on back the good times"!

Also making her debut on level 2 was DANIELA BOVE, who instantly introduced her backing band with "These are my belongings"! They include two guitarists and a dreadlocked gentleman who is both a percussionist and auxiliary guitarist. Constantly on the move, the diminutive Ms Bove is supremely confident. She has long flame coloured hair and a slightly bohemian attire. The combination works in her favour. Daniela's soulful voice is captured perfectly on "Lying Awake". The clarity of the band's material is picked up by Daniela, who comments "Lovely sound up here" (take a bow sound engineer Emily). All this beautiful music is despite the fact that 'the belongings' does not tonight include the female cellist who is away in Liverpool. She is especially missed on one song. "I'm falling for you" is a little funky on the ear, while "Searching" is more sublime and laid back. It's when the triple guitarists come into their own. A slight 'picky' criticism I would have is that the songs end very abruptly. It leads to a pregnant pause before the applause follows. "Word" is an angry song. The lyrics are self-explanatory. Daniela's fiery Italian roots really surface on this finale.

Another Esquires newcomer is DANNI NICHOLLS, who totally charmed us all this evening. Originally from Bedford, she is now based in Brighton. Her appearance reminds me of a comment made to me a little while ago. "It's the shoes worn that make you look the part". Well Danni wears the real deal - a pair of brown cowgirl boots! They are very long and pointy. Although she normally performs with a bassist, her songs work well. "Blue for Nothing" is the perfect Friday evening pick me up. Naturally "Heavy Shoes" is a favourite. A hush sweeps over the audience as Danni sings "My shoes ain't heavy now and we don't have to be alone". Danni engagingly communicates with everyone "I think it's best if you tap into your hillbilly zone, you all have one"! This spirited young lady excels with "Circles" and "Empty Houses" before leaving us with a Johnny Cash cover, naturally!

Also into shoes is Miss AMY LEEDER. Is it to be high heels or flat shoes, she queries on stage. I bet Imelda Marcos never had this problem! Thankfully, fellow Integral Edwin has no such worries. Proudly he performs tonight with a sparkling new bass. Also fresh and different is "Irresistably You" which already has The Integrals hallmark. The more established songs are delightfully performed as well. Amy And The Integrals are as enjoyable as ever.

The word "short" can be the only expression I can possibly use to describe ELIZA DOOLITTLE'S Esquires debut. First, she is cutely short in size. She also wears a pair of short shorts! Plus her set, especially for a headliner, was extremely short! Her greeting at the start is warm, friendly and confident. "Welcome to Doolittle planet"! Her accompanying musicians are quite a motley bunch. They include a double bassist, a drummer who, according to my friend, is the spitting image of Everton footballer Fellaini (!), and a guitarist who doubles up on a ukulele! This variety and odd assortment, I'm sorry to say, doesn't really fill me with much interest. I found it to be a very acquired taste. Eliza draws influences from a few female vocalists and her stage presence is good. November 30th sees the release date for her EP. She performs "Skinny Jeans" which is her first single, pencilled in for January. Also "Roller blades" which will follow, and not much else really.