Luke Pickett, Paige, The October Game, The Broadcast, Tom Evans.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 18th August 2007.

A varied line-up of artists were duly presented by the "Play It Loud" team. For openers, young acoustic lad TOM EVANS made a capable and confident debut. From Flitwick, he strummed his way through six songs, of which 'Wings' was my favourite. Competently played with some spirited emotion, his style is shaped of Paolo Nutini, of which a cover of 'Last Request' bares the comparison.

It was great to see Hitchin's THE BROADCAST returning to play here again, and immediately from the indie-pop opener of 'We Are Historians" I feel it's going to be an enjoyable experience. There's even scope for the crowd to have a boogie with 'Speak! Talk! Tell'. Their triple vocal assault makes for total variation. 'Summer's Bliss' is The Broadcast's myspace hit and benefits from some unusual vocal sound effects! 'John Hopkins' is a shift from the soppy stuff and enjoys some vocal sparring, while 'Don't Fight' is their latest global internet addition. The boys' last song 'Widescreen Fetish' which as well as possessing a chorus of "Sing Me a Love Song" has a liberal use of synths. A good set from The Broadcast, all the more so as one of the vocalists is just recovering from tonsilitis.

Well what can one possibly say about the performance of THE OCTOBER GAME? For thirty minutes or so it was totally absorbing and always compelling. It is beautifully understated and utterly mesmerising. Starting from the slow burner that is 'Cast These Waves' the musicianship allied to some thought-provoking lyrics make it so addictive. It's true that at times it can be described as downright gloomy, but that's The October Game's appeal. This is not happy music, but the build-up and crescendo at each song-peak escalates into a barrage of all out sound.

In the context of what has been, up to now, a fine evening's entertainment, our next band called PAIGE are disappointing. The music and their, at times, juvenile humour is for me a bit boring. Some of the crowd agree and take time out for a ciggie break!

The myspace/internet phenomenon that is LUKE PICKETT touched down in Esquires, and his fans are packed at the front to get that perfect view. Twenty years of age, streaked blond hair, tattooed muscular arms, ripped denim jeans, diamond studded earring and a very expensive wristwatch - the young ladies are out in force for this Hertfordshire gentleman.
With influences ranging from The Police, Incubus and Prince, Luke is not a rebellious 'change the world, down on your luck' folk singer. He is very much an 'emo-folkie' who prefers the softer approach as his subtle and well-crafted lyrics are delivered in a dreamy wispy sort of way. Already with an EP ('Every Petal Lost, Another Gained') to his credit, his first song tonight is 'Going Down with this Ship'. Everybody is quiet except for the camera clicks and flashes. 'Blood Money' is dedicated to the ladies. It is slow and soothing, the musical mastery of this man is winning me over, and by the time Luke reaches 'Lay Down your Cards' I'm hooked! This song is from his forthcoming EP which is due for release in mid-September, it is also dedicated to a cancer charity. At the close of final song 'The Casino Brawl' his fans applaud wildly. I'm sure some of the girls have tears in their eyes! With a lot of touring already done and more due for the future, Luke Pickett could (with luck) be on the lips of even more music fans in 2008.