Scratchplate, Gain, His and Herpes, The Inspiration.

Esquires Bedford Lev 2 5th May 2006.

Reviewed by Martin Stapleton / Pictures by Suzy Cook.

Every so often an evening brings forth the unexpected, practically out of nothing. Tonight was one of those occasions. Having had the bands that were originally intended to play pull out for a whole host of reasons, promoter Paul Craven had to hastily arrange a new line up in just a matter of days. To their eternal credit, the bands that appeared tonight all rallied around and so did all the marvellous fans who turned out in large numbers and contributed to a memorable gig.

THE INSPIRATION stated the evening, and this was their first ever live performance. Having been requested by Scratchplate to appear on the line-up just two days ago, the young scamps justified the faith shown in them by delivering a mixture of covers and their own compositions. The covers ranged from The Libertines to a fine version of the Nine Black Alps hit 'Unsatisfied', and to the delight of their legion of fans, their performance was very assured.

After impressing everyone at a recent showcase Thursday evening, HIS AND HERPES were given the chance to perform for the first time upstairs on Level 2. Although people appear divided with regards their rather risqué name, the music these lads churned out marked them out to have a promising future. Their set included three covers, of which 'Olympia W.A.' (Rancid) impressed the most. However, it was their own songwriting capabilities which stood out, most notably 'I Used to Care' which featured great lyrics. Toby's and Tysoe's vocals complemented each other well and the drumming was extremely proficient.

GAIN have not appeared here for quite a while but tonight the boys were keen and anxious to show that they are improving all the time. As with the other bands tonight, Gain sprinkle a few cover into their repertoire tonight, with their version of 'Slither' becoming the song of the evening. With their own compositions 'Tommy's Dead' and 'Faster' becoming familiar favourites, the audience clearly enjoyed every minute of their set and there are smiles all around when vocalist Paul experiences problems with his guitar and ruefully admits 'I can't afford a new one'!





SCRATCHPLATE make a swift return to Esquires and wipe out the memories of their support slot to The Ga*Ga*s, which was a total non-event. This time their fans are here and the boys are in the mood to party. They appear on stage in various stages of fancy dress. Little Robbie takes the dignified appearance of a genial Jewish Rabbi and big hair is everywhere as their start their set with a dutiful cover of Blur's 'Song 2'. Their eager fans are virtually salivating in anticipation of what is coming next and 'Let It Go' features a full-one Scratchplate burst of showmanship and music. Although tender is years their rendering of the T-Rex song '20th Century Boy' is a credit to them and when they invite Paul from Gain on stage to accompany them on a version of (song of the evening) 'Slither' it brings the house down.





A really successful evening for everyone!