Moxie, Kharma 45, Little Theif, The Venkman Project.

Esquires Bedford Lev 2. 25th November 2006.

Oh well! After following the exploits of our cricketers down under, keeping my eye on the rugby international at Twickenham and then having downstairs in Danny's Bar for the best part of two hours watched my football team get well and truly stuffed, I was not in the best of spirits for tonight's gig, but by the end of it, live music had healed my battered mind.

Opening with Peter Venkman aka The VENKMAN PROJECT, who is swiftly developing into an Esquires acoustic nugget. Shabbily dressed, short and stocky with a neatly trimmed beard, it's his 'bourbon' seasoned voice which has such a rich deep feel that I am warming to, it sounds much older than his younger face. The very 'Dylanesque' 'My Darling England' tugs at the heart while leaving a big lump in the throat, while '(Lord Knows) I'm A Bad Man' brings to mind a mental picture of all those spaghetti western of years ago.

Young guitar band 'LITTLE THIEF' make their level 2 debut tonight. Their style is very much in vogue of the current trend, eg Arctics, Razorlight etc, and a good impression they create. When a broken string interrupted their flow they quickly improvised with a little 'jazz funk'. Opening song Lucinda is confidently performed, very catchy, while the sparkling 'Nothing To Lose' shows that these East Beds lads will be worth a second look. The only downside was a needless Republica cover which didn't fit in at all well.

After a slow burning start with 'Come On', KHARMA 45 just exploded into action, as the headspinning 'Where's Your Spirit Man' is unleashed amongst us. With obvious comparisons to early Kasabian, they trailblazed a twenty five minute set of bass driven psychedelia, pausing only to tell us the next song title. Things reach a peak with the appropriately titled 'Ecstasy', a state I was in at the end of a mindblowing set.

The sensations in the brain are just reverting back to a relaxed mode with the final band MOXIE step into the breach. Everything about this band is pleasant, but following on the heels of Kharma 45 did them no favours, and I would rather give Moxie a more objectionable review on another occasion. But their loyal fans did give them some whoops of delight, and a couple of young female followers even indulged in some brief stage dancing!