The Jacks, Bowfinger, Amy and the Integrals, Mr Barbs, Kid Charlemagne.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 27th June 2009.

Sadly a poor turnout tonight is no reflection on the quality of musicians on show tonight.

KID CHARLEMAGNE are acoustic duo Simon Gutteridge and Ian Stanwell. They ooze a dark, understated melancholy. Gently tugging chords, plus some slightly teary melodies have a feel of the past, but combine enough of the present to keep the neo-folk devotees happy. A couple of songs are especially interesting. "Roses" is what Ian describes as "a little country song". "Jolene" is an original composition and not to be confused with the popular standard. Kid Charlemagne have an EP out at the moment. "Harvest Moon" is available on i-Tunes.

MR BARBS returns to level 2, his lop-sided hairstyle still unsettling. Perhaps some hair straighteners would be an ideal birthday present for him! His deadpan delivery never alters throughout. "Thursday" is played especially for a friend who has travelled many miles to see him. The set that he performs is, at times, slightly frayed around the edges, but still contains enough of a wistful ambience to hold one's interest.

Bedford's young popsters AMY AND THE INTEGRALS have got a busy schedule coming up. Tomorrow it's the Ampthill festival, while next Saturday they are performing at the massive annual Rhythms Of The World in Hitchin. Tonight is a perfect low-key warm up for the talented trio. As always, the jovial presentation is sometimes quite a cheeky foil for those rather teenager angsty lyrics. Amy doesn't mince her words when she's on stage, but they are sung with a smile. The songs, considering the bands' young ages, continue to be both dramatic and personal. Skilfully constructed and a pleasure to witness.

Luton's BOWFINGER fill the sparse room with their trademark bouncy mod tunes. Always a pleasure to see them in action. They never seem to deliver a dud show. The opening salvo to "Everything is easy" is always guaranteed to have the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention. Bowfinger's classic British sound is chockful of rabble rousing choruses. The entertainment value is, as ever, premium strength. Never more so than when "Action girl" is unleashed upon us.

Unfortunately for THE JACKS, they headline to quite an empty room, which I suppose they are getting used to when they arrive here. Although their debut single "Not me not you" is out on Monday, it's still "Lesser man" that I love to hear. To be fair however, I have to admit that the apathetic turnout by Bedford's public has dampened even my enthusiasm as The Jacks tried desperately hard to focus on the job in hand.