GoodBooks, The Guildean Gang, Little Thief.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2. 29th May. 2007.

Reviewed by Martin Stapleton / Pictures by Liam Scarlino.

A Tuesday evening has notoriously been a sluggish affair as far as the crowd support is concerned, and tonight I was a little uncertain as to what sort of turn out we would get as we welcomed rising stars GOODBOOKS to our hallowed stage. However there were no worries as it is comfortably full and thanks to the sterling efforts of young support bands The GUILDEAN GANG, and most especially LITTLE THIEF, everyone is in good spirits and high on adrenaline when this rather shy and inoffensive four piece take to the stage. In fact, as far as entrances go, it's all pretty unspectacular. I faintly muse that this is a band who prefer to let their songs make the statement. As the evening wore on I was proved right.

All hailing from the glorious garden of England, Sevenoaks in Kent, they open with a couple of fairly average efforts. 'Beautiful to watch' and 'Alice' are almost imploring me to ask what all the hype has been about for the last eighteen months. Then 'Passchendale' arrived! A faint ska-beat pulsates through its vein and comes close to the sort of material The Ordinary Boys used to be capable of. As well as the sound, the message of this anti-war song is projected impressively. GoodBooks inform us that this is one of their oldest songs. My interest taken in, vocalist Max Cooke, who has the facial appearance of an angelic choirboy and softly spoken to boot (except when he is painfully recalling their gig in Carlisle!) begins to assert himself. He implores the audience at the intro to the newer 'The Last Say' "Don't dance. It doesn't work. It's about impunity!" It's a damn fine tune! I'm beginning to warm to these so-called 'posh boys' especially when GoodBooks have some pleasant comments about the atmosphere and general crowd participation of this evening "We didn't expect this from Bedford!"