Eddie and the Hot Rods, The Informers.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 4th May 2008.

For the regulars here, Sunday May 4th 2008 will go down as a memorable day in the history of the club. Beginning with the mornings events, as our Esquires football team won the Beds F.A. Sunday Junior Cup Final. Supported by Danny, Pete, and many more of us, it certainly puts everybody in good spirits for the live music to follow. The afternoon session sees the popular Thunderbird 5 playing a thunderous covers set in the bar. While on level 2 later on, there is the appearance of legendary rhythm and blues band EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS, still fronted by the irrepressible Barrie Masters.

Making their name initially in 1975 on the pub-rock circuit, it was to be in the long, hot summer of 1976 when the breakthrough was achieved with their "LIve at The Marquee" EP. For all the ladies and gentlemen up here this evening the nostalgia of those times are to come flooding back. Mr Masters has certainly weathered well, lean and wiry and with his cheeky persona still intact. Backed by his trusty quartet, of which the guitarists have obviously modelled their style on the 'glimmer twins'! The Rods open with their top 40 hit "Teenage Depression", still as spiky after all these years. A cover of The Who's "Kids are Alright" is followed by the personal touch by Barrie, who greets everyone with a cheery "Hello and good evening". With a couple of brightly coloured neckerchiefs attached to his wrists, he reveals after "Better Without You", that today is his birthday, but this fifty-something doesn't give away the exact age!

For most of those in attendance, and certainly for this reviewer, the undoubted highlight of The Rods' set is their classic radio-friendly new wave hit of 1977 "Do Anything You Wanna Do". For any teenager, the lyrics of that song still run true, even today. This is, for me, the Esquires 'nostalgia nugget of the year'. The song is as fresh now as it was back then. As the applause dies down, the band still maintain a good level of performance. "Life on the Line", "Alive", and especially "Ignore Them", with Barrie's cutting shouts of "Don't take no shit from no one!".

With the evening drawing to a close, Eddie And The Hot Rods pull in with "The Power and the Glory", which is a song from their more recent album. They end with their version of "Born to be Wild". As always in these instances, the inevitable encore is reciprocated with "Gloria" taking the cheers. Another reappearance duly follows before they do finally depart. Apparently next weekend, Eddie And The Hot Rods are at Astoria 2, no doubt continuing to entertain all the more mature folks that still turn up to see and hear a real original of music's history, Mr Barrie Masters. A very happy birthday to ya!

Support comes in the shape of three piece THE INFORMERS, whose set of punk and new wave covers begins with their vocalists opening words of "We are going to treat you to our own special blend"! Which, on the whole, they do. Favourite such as "Janie Jones", "Into the Valley", and even a Godfathers cover gets everybody in the bank holiday mood.