New Groove Formation, Folk'n'Ska Souls, The Defekters, Ryan Martin.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 4th December 2009.

The people of Ampthill and Flitwick pretty well take over the upstairs room. The undoubted highlight is once again NEW GROOVE FORMATION. They bring us a kaleidoscopic melange of heavy percussion, lashings of brass allied to their varied vocal muscle. Speaking of which, singers Iain and Nick have specially dressed for the occasion, or as they might introduce it to us "Are you ready for this one?". Mr Quinn is totally resplendent in an over the top ultra-loud black and white striped jacket and trousers. It brought to mind the sort of suit that the late jazz musician George Melly famously used to wear on regular occasions. He also favours a trilby to give him added sophistication. Nick tonight is the rapping reverend, prepared to give us some ever so slightly deranged sermonising! Also returning to the NGF fold for tonight's gig is original bassist Faz.

Fully armed with their urban tales, the vibe is awesome. A collective force that the eight of them create on stage is infectious. New Groove Formation are, without doubt, one of this area's most exciting live bands. It's never just a gig, it's an experience. Outdoor festivals might be their natural habitat, but they have never let us down when they have performed here at Esquires. Mixing new material with the older favourites, they are heavy on the melody, while the stage presence portrays a carefree abandon and a certain swagger. Only on one occasion does the small stage work against them. It happens when an over zealous Iain almost collides with trumpet player Nicky! Hilarity ensues as trombone player Dawn notices the near miss! "Too Much", "Human Race", "6000 Miles", with danceable tunes like these, it really is all about the music. If "Senorita" is for the ladies, then "Bedford Street" certainly should not be. Especially as Quinny sings with a sense of knowledge "waking up on the kitchen floor"! However, as NGF are only too happy to point out "Who made the rules"?

The support slots were opened by RYAN "Rogue Radio" MARTIN. As an integral part of the Ampthill scene, he goes back to his folk-roots. The off-kilter street lyrics include some warmly developed turns of phrase. Of his set, I found the opening "Two chord coward" and also "Truths been sold" to be the most interesting.

Taking Level 2 into relatively unchartered territory are THE DEFEKTERS. They are a female fronted quartet whose musical ingredients are a bubbling melting pot of ska, lovers rock, roots reggae and hints of jazzy blues. At the forefront is their larger than life vocalist who practically encapsulates her whole performance in a song called "Freedom Fighters". It contains one of the loudest and downright dirtiest laughs imaginable. With the sound engineer employing a permanent reverberating 'dub' echo, even the non-ska fans had to concede that "she really did have an amazing voice", very powerful. The ska tunes are a little reminiscent of The Selector, but the reggae infusion stays in my mind. "Escape" succintly defines the character and organic energy of The Defekters. A return is hotly anticipated.

FOLK'N'SKA SOULS complete the trio of bands on show tonight. As with the rest of the line-up, I'm sure that they would have fitted perfectly on a line-up at a mid-eighties Stonehenge free festival. They utilize a little celtic charm to a 2 Tone sound. This evening they unveil their new guitarist who fits in well with their passion raddled 'stompery-folkery', such as on "Before we go to Hell". With Madness and Specials at every turn, especially the ending to "Hypocrite" - "You make me sick, you're a hypocrite". Think Terry Hall and remember 'try wearing a cap' an entertaining "Matter of Time" which keeps the travelling fans more than happy.