The Meteors, The Ladykillers.

Lev 1. Esquires Bedford. 29th August 2010.

Tonight, level 2 was knee deep in nostalgia on a rare Sunday night gig for the bank holiday weekend. Sadly, the turnout failed to match the stature of the touring band on show. Formed some thirty years ago, THE METEORS have constantly been one of rockabilly's principal players. World renowned and touring extensively, only Paul Fenech remains from the original line up. For fans of the genre, this is potentially Bedford's biggest night for years. It's The Meteors first visit to Esquires, but a keen fan from their early days commented that he had seen them play a literally knock out show at the, now defunct, Bedford Boys Club back in the eighties. He spoke of the physical attributes of the band's travelling fans, the notorious Wrecking Crew!

What of this evening's fare? Well, with a show that was announced just two weeks ago, the signs are not good and there was no mention or coverage in the local press. In fact, you either had to be in the know or extremely lucky to discover that The Meteors were in town. A paltry third full Esquires is the sight that greets them. Very underwhelming, I have to admit. To their eternal credit, The Meteors put on a superb show. A seventy five minute set that also includes a lengthy encore. However, having never been a first generation fan, they were hardly going to convert me tonight. They showed a huge degree of passion and honesty and a whole lot of heart. It must have been depressing for a band of this standing not to be able to fill a small venue like ours. The people here tonight are, in the main, bequiffed and booted or, for the older fans, a skinhead is the natural choice! All try to enter into the spirit of things as best they can, although the veterans were more Creaking Crew than Wrecking Crew!

The Meteors are bass pluckingly tight. They never short changed anybody this evening. Front man Fenech introduces "Rawhide" as "a dedication for our brothers in Afghanistan". He also adds, prior to "Little Red Riding Hood", "Thanks for spending your money when you ain't got none!". For their small band of loyal supporters, many of whom travelled a fair few miles, The Meteors continue to be 'the bastard sons of a rock 'n' roll devil'!

Offering good support and opening the evening are The LADYKILLERS. They are a snappily attired young rockabilly quartet who are "from Harlow town!" as their front man announces. Mixing their own material, such as "She Don't Cry Anymore" and "Killers Kiss", they include a different slant to the norm by playing a cover of an early Bo Diddley song, called "I can tell".