The Quireboys.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 14th December 2007.

There are three certainties in life - death, taxes, and a crowded Esquires when THE QUIREBOYS are in town to play!
Nearly eighteen months since they last played here (of course they did support Status Quo at Bedford Park in the summer), their appeal never seems to wane. As is the tradition they are introduced to the stage by manager Bruce Murray, and the boys immediately launch into "Don't Bite the Hand". Even this early in the gig it seems noticeable that vocalist Spike is looking on top form as he cries out just like Noddy "It's Christmas"!

The consumate musicians run through "Misled" and "The Finer Stuff". It's now that the jackets come off and The Quireboys must mean business. Spike's already overcome by the reception as he states sincerely "Cheers Everybody". They then take everybody back in time to their second album and a slice of "Tramps and Thieves". The band have been busy recording a new album and two tracks are performed back to back. "One for the Road" is archetypal Quireboys, an uptempo rocker that sounds good on first hearing. Spike also remembers all the words! While on "Louder", Pip's drivin' drumbeat prevails throughout.

The crowd that have come out to party get their chance on "Can't Park Here", as they try to outsing their hero! They then have a brief breather as The Quireboys perform their forthcoming single "Mona Lisa Smiled". Normal participation resumes with "This is Rock'n'Roll", ageing arms are hoisted in the air as Spike engages in a "Yeah, yeah" salvo with the audience! Pip drums a solo of epic proportions. Phew! It's hard to keep up with it all. Thankfully "Black Water" gives us a chance to relax as it takes us down a notch. It's a new song that was conceived in the deep south "America, not London"!

Spike amusingly tells us it sums up what this band exist on - balance, rhythm and timing. Tonight is also keyboardist Keith's birthday, and he gets the inevitable ditty sung to him. The band respond by bringing us "There She Goes Again", in which Spike throws his brand new mic stand into the air! (Needless to say he catches it effortlessly!) With both band and crowd on an ultimate 'high' "Hey You" is then struck up! To their credit, The Quireboys use the art of contrast as "Searching" is beautifully and quite movingly performed. The set reaches a conclusion with a "Yee ha" of "Sweet Mary Anne" and a climactic "7 O'clock". The boys leave the stage to a crescendo af applause and cheers. After a couple of minutes for both band and audience to refresh and recover, The Quireboys reappear for an encore. The mellow and thought provoking "I Don't Love You" in tenderly played and is the ideal precursor to the frenetic finale of "Sex Party". The end has arrived and it's satisfaction guaranteed.