Kilto Take, The Broadcast, Harlequin, David Lloyd, Daniela.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 28th February 2009.

Thanks to the Little Red Roster, the acoustic scene on level 2 has increased immensely during the past year. The first hour of the show tonight is gentle and intimate. Firstly, young chanteuse DANIELA was ably supported on acoustic guitar by the dependable Edwin Integral. Taking obvious influences from Lily and Kate, covers dominate the set. Her effortless demeanour is to be applauded. I think the only struggle she seemed to encounter was the oversized cardigan that she was wearing, but as "Human" is introduced, she removes it and her worries disappear. Except for the disappointing omission of her Italian spoken song that was so enjoyed last time, this fragile young lady provides a set that is enjoyably received.

It's great to see DAVID LLOYD back at Esquires. His first duty was to engagingly apologise for interrupting the Libertines song that was playing prior to his arrival on stage! His first song is "My Friends". This uplifting start immediately captures everyone's attention. The lyrics of "You are the sunshine that takes away all of my pain" continues to enchant. David tells us that "Introduce Myself Please" is a song he wrote to stop him "babbling" at his gigs! "Walking Yellow Brick Roads" tugs at your heart but never gets schmaltzy. In fact, as "Footprints in Tears" is performed, it seems that every facet of the song is being lived out in his face which is, at times, painfully etched and contorted. The amusing "I ain't no Dancer" tells us the story of Mr Lloyd's non-ability on the dancefloor!

Once again we are treated to a young feisty all girl rock band and, surprise surprise, they don't come from Bedford! In fact, HARLEQUIN travelled from Banbury near Oxford to be with us tonight and admit that they struggled to locate Esquires! Thankfully Dannika (vocals), Imogen (guitar, vocals), Laura (guitar), Connie (bass) and Robyn (drums) managed it and we are treated to a set that incorporates many different sounds which twist and turn throughout their three minute life. Never forget the surprise element which in this case is a cover of "Beat It"! I am not a fan of the song, but the girls make it work perfectly. Influenced by, amongst others, Hundred Reasons, Incubus, and Fightstar, there is a real grungy element to their songs. The vocals seem to be slightly Hayley Paramore, especially on "Here Me" which is also on their myspace. "Don't Mix the Used" is Harlequinn's most recently written song and sums up the teenagers attitude as they tell us after their performance "We love playing music, playing gigs and we loved playing tonight". Esquires loved hosting them.

Although I have enjoyed previous sets by Hitchin's The BROADCAST, this unfortunately was not one of them. However, they brought a lot of their fans here who came to party enthusiastically throughout the set.

KILTO TAKE were, as always, much more to my liking as the quartet rightfully gained their first level 2 headline billing. There is with this band a soft riot of melodic invention combined with a certain emotional clarity. The beats are up while the melodies are gracious. On their previous performance Kilto Take threw some glowsticks to the audience for maximum participation. There is more of the same tonight, but with the added bonus of many Haribo sweets thrown by Mark. Sadly he is no Kevin Pietersen and I fail to receive one at my position of long off! This wonderfully mellifluous band continue to enchant with, at times, a certain earthy charm hidden beneath their cool and sophisticated persona.