Stray, Lost for Words.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 4th April 2009.

Continuing the policy of bringing classic rock to Esquires, Silver Gig Promotions brought us the return of STRAY, fronted by the irrepressible Del Bromham. He formed the band back in 1966. With constant touring and the release of countless albums, super stardom just eluded them, but an immense reputation had been built. Due to the new sound of punk, Stray fell out of favour and split in 1977. It was to be a further twenty years until Del and a new line up of Stray re-emerged. Since then he has been extremely busy, with bassist Stuart Uren and Karl Randall on drums, now completing the band. However, it is the showman that is Del Bromham that always catches your eyes and ears!

As promoter Rob Vernon explains in his introduction, this is all about 'rawk'! The hairy trio are all too happy to oblige on this second gig on their mini tour of three. They also have a new album "Valhalla" to showcase. I feel it is going to be a busy stage show, but unfortunately, the turn out is disappointing to say the least. Having seen last years Stray gig here, I find it deeply staggering. Del doesn't appear to be too perturbed as he jauntily introduces himself, "Ay, Ay-Ay, Ay"! The glint in the 'young' man's eye is undeniable and he does not disappear at any stage during the evening. He starts by telling us that he "has no idea what the set is going to be tonight!", but that "We are going to start playing like this". Del's on a high, in fact he feels so strong I could "Move a mountain". It's the sound of the 21st century Stray and is the opening track on "Valhalla". To make their older fans nostalgic, they follow with "Jericho" which dates back to their second album "Suicide".

With the vast catalogue of songs at their disposal, they can offer material both old and new. Lyrics about the current state of the world are always a plus point for this reviewer, so I was immediately taken by "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue". It's a song that Del Bromham wrote "last May in the wake of the Iraq war". He thought of all the decisions made in the lead up. Two places account for it, 10 Downing Street and, of course, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Following in a similar vein is the new uptempo rocker "Free at last", which is written with Martin Luther King and John Lennon in mind as they both wanted freedom. More poignant is the song Del wrote about Harry Farr. He explains that it's the story of a soldier who, along with three hundred others, was shot during the first world war for being a coward. This was later revealed to be false and wildly inaccurate.

With the new material well received, Stray concentrate now on past glories. Del recalls how, when they originally recorded "I believe it", they had amongst their company The London Symphony Orchestra who he cheekily admits "totalled more than the audience tonight". It featured, as many do, the ultimate guitar solo! The mood and style alters only very rarely from the hard rocking roots. A funky composition is a chance for a dance! Normal service is resumed with another story that makes this evening so complete. Del recalls touring with Canned Heat when they referred to Mr Bromham as "that skinny cockney bastard"! It may have been forty years ago, but the Stray frontman is still lean and wiry. As the set draws to a close, it's "All in your mind" that they leave us with. It even incorporates the sound of "Enter Sandman"! Naturally there is an encore, which turns out to be a fun song full of elongated rock riffs.

An opening support slot is given to popular Sunday sessions quartet LOST FOR WORDS. Young frontman Carlos oozes confidence amongst his seasoned band members. They play a predominantly blues covers set, which is finished off by Floyd's "Comfortably numb".